Arceus Drops: Remembering
by AI Rorello
Summary: After an accident takes Ash's sight away from him, old friends and companions slowly trickle back into his life. But the strings that bind begin to tangle... as fate readies them for a destiny none of them are ready to face. Drama, Shipping, Action, etc.
1. Chapter 1 Black

The wound was too much, the pain far too strong, and her body finally too weak to fight back death. In her last glances of light, she looked up to the man that held her in his arms.

_This man…_ she thought to herself. _This man, that I had just met… a man I had spent no more than two months with… he became everything that ever mattered to me… everything that I had desired in this world… he became my world… and I'm sorry… I did this for you…_

Her world started to fade, and she could no longer recall what existence truly felt like.

Memories were vanishing, emotions were dulling, but _he_ remained… _whatever his name was…_ she couldn't remember… _but he was still there…_

"_No please… please don't go…_" the man whispered with a shaking voice. Tears ran down his face as he gazed into her jaded eyes. He never saw her like this. _She used to be so full of life, so full of care, so full of love…_ but now she was leaving this life… leaving him alone… to finish a job he never wanted to do without her.

She touched his face one last time. "_If we had only met sooner…_ we could have…"

…

"_No…_"

Her body had stopped.

There was nothing left of her. No breath, no pulse, no movement – no life. He didn't want to believe it, he didn't want to accept it, he didn't want to realize what had happened. He wanted to forget, he wanted it all to stop and tell him it was a lie. But there were no evidences for him to hold onto. His denials and wishes would be his only comfort from now on…

"…don't go… don't go please! **DON'T GO!**"

"Can you just get this over with?" whined an older man. Tied up and incapacitated on the floor, the only thing he could do was speak his thoughts and ideas – and he took advantage of those freedoms.

"**You heartless piece of trash!** You shut your mouth!" A woman of fierce temper launched a strong kick against the callous man's head, knocking him unconscious.

Slowly letting his down his loved one's body onto the cold floor, the man stood. Broken, but determined. "I'm ready…"

The man's intentions were made clear.

Sensing these thoughts, a woman of strange power turned away from her responsibilities. "What are you… are you crazy? Stop!" She grabbed onto the ladder beside her and climbed down as fast as she could.

"Huh?" The hot-headed woman looked up at her in curiosity. "What's going on?"

"**You have to stop him!**" She jumped from the ladder and began running across the platform to reach the man. "**He's not going to use Arceus to reverse what has been done! He's going to–**"

The man had been whispering, his voice too low for anyone else to hear. Inaudible to anyone but the god pokémon.

Eyes burning in energies of all elements, Arceus faced the one it had promised its service to.

"_**So it shall be…"**_ its voice echoed throughout the minds of everyone within its vicinity.

The ground shook; breaking and shattering all creations of man.

The room burned in white light; devouring all emotion and thought.

And reality began to dematerialize; threatening the fate of the universe.

"**No! How could you do this?**" Before the realm of their existence could be covered in the cloud of Arceus' power, the woman cried out into the spreading blank nothingness.** "After everything we've fought for! **_**WHY?**_**"**

And in the emptiness, the man answered…

"…_because we could all have done better…_"

* * *

><p>"Where do you think you're going?" Determined eyes belonging to a furious boy followed an escaping trio of villains.<p>

"Dis twerp just doesn't know when to give up!" an exhausted feline pokémon hissed.

"One could say the same about us." a blue-haired male of the group added.

"Seviper! Do something!" a woman with fiery hair demanded as she tossed one of her poké balls onto the metal platform.

This was a familiar sight for the boy; he had been chasing them all day in this building. 'Building' being a literal description, as the structure had not been finished, with several portions of every floor missing walls and bases. Many of the higher sections were missing all pieces together, only supported by large rods of steel and accessible only by staircases and ramps.

Floor after floor the boy would catch up with them, only to have the red-haired woman bring out her seviper to knock him back down to a previous unfinished floor.

On any given day he would have sent the seviper and the trio flying off into the sky easily, but this just was not one of those days. Without his pokémon he definitely couldn't stand a chance.

He thought several times as he climbed up each floor that he should've gone back and gotten his friends for help… or to make a quick run to the Pokémon Center to retrieve his poké balls… but now they arrived at the final floor, and it was too late to make any decision that was infinitely smarter than what would happen next.

A red blur of light interrupted the sunlight that beat down on them. Crimson light swirled, expanded, and broke away into the shape of a large snake pokémon. "_Seviper!_" the dark green pokémon hissed in pleasure to be out of its poké ball once more.

The boy flinched back, afraid he would be knocked back to the previous floor again.

_No! It's now or never. If I don't stop them now, they'll get away with Pikachu!_ the boy yelled in his mind with resolve.

Seeing the child, the pokémon vibrated with delight, happy to be able to send him flying back down just one more time. It was a delicious feeling… this boy had been a thorn on their side for as long as the pokémon could remember.

_And this- this one's for making my life miserable!_ the Seviper laughed in its thoughts as it lunged towards the pest.

"Now!" the boy shouted to the air as he dove over the large snake. The trio of criminals' eyes widened as they slowly realized that the boy was now rocketing towards them.

"AHHHH! What's he tink he's doin?" the cat pokémon panicked.

"He's going to knock us all off!" now the blue-haired man panicked.

"Seviper! Behind! Use your tail!" the red-headed woman commanded venomously.

The large green pokémon swung its tail mid-lunge.

A large whip-like tail had connected with the boy's ribs. **An odd thump.**

Pain shot throughout his body as he felt one of them snap- though that wasn't his biggest worry, an ever-extending landscape of ridiculous measurements below him definitely had his attention. The strike from the Seviper had caused him to launch off the non-walled top floor of the building.

This was going to hurt. Bad.

"_**AHHHHHHHHHH!"**_ the boy screamed as he saw the forest below magnify faster and faster.

The trio looked over the ledge in surprise.

"Ya tink we overdid it?" the feline tilted his head.

"That certainly is a long way down." the man whistled.

"Oh shut up!" the woman shot back, "We've survived worse. Now get in the blimp before the other twerps get here!"

"Aye aye!" the two exclaimed.

* * *

><p><em>Hurt.<em>

_Lots of pain._

_What happened?_

Several thoughts and sensations swirled in the injured boy's mind.

_Where am I? What's blocking my eyes?_

The boy cleaned off his eyes and blinked.

_What? Why's it so dark? Where am I?_

Using his hands, he tried feeling his surroundings.

_Grass. Dirt. Rock, I think. This is a tree. W-Wait a minute! PIKACHU!_ the boy had finally realized what had happened to him. Fearing that the trio had gotten away with his best friend, he jumped up and ran forward – only to collide with a tree.

"Owwwww!" the boy grabbed his head. A pain sliced through the rest of his body. "_AAHH!_" his tensing body had reminded him of the broken rib. He fell to the ground, a numb feeling spreading through him.

Breathing heavily, the boy still tried to drag himself across the ground. "_P-Pikachu… I'm comin' buddy…_" and with a sudden release of breath, he fainted.

* * *

><p>A sound pierced his consciousness, though it was indiscernible to his thoughts.<p>

_Again. That noise. What is that?_

"sh!"

_What was that?_

"ASH!"

_Huh? Someone's calling my name!_

"_I_-I'm right here!" he struggled to say, unsure if someone was trying to find him.

"I know, I've got you."

Ash shook his head, a headache pressing into his conscious from adjusting to the voice's immediate response. He flinched, suddenly surprised at his position. Someone was holding him off the ground, and they were walking.

"_Wh-_Where am I? And why is it so dark?"

"Ash? _Oh my God…_ What happened to you?"

"I was fighting Team Rocket, _and…_ I think I fell off a _building_?" he slowly groaned as he tried to gather bits of pieces of the recent events. He kept his thoughts moving, avoiding his body's pains from weakening him.

"Lift your head, let me see…"

"How can you see when it's so dark?" the boy raised his head.

**A gasp.**

…

"Hey, what happened?"

They refused to answer.

Whoever was holding him had started shaking.

"Is something wrong?"

A gentle hand touched his face. _Wait a minute. Who is this?_

"_Um…_ who are you?"

"_Oh Ash… you poor thing…_"

"_Wh-What!_ What happened?" Ash panicked, fearing the worst – though what the worst could be, he had no idea. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know, and now he regretted asking.

"_Your eyes…_"

"My eyes? What about the—" the realization had hit him hard. "**I-I'm blind?**"

No answer, though he was sure the person nodded.

…

_What do I do now…?_

"_**Pikachu!**_ … _**We have to save Pikachu!**_" the boy exclaimed.

"No we don't! We're getting you to a hospital right now!"

"What? _**Why?**_ And who do you think you are?"

"It's me, Ash. Anabel." the voice had suddenly become gentle.

"_A-Anabel?_ Where's Dawn? Brock?"

"I'm not sure… but we have to get you to a hospital right now."

"**A hospital?** They only have one in this region! That's going to take forever!"

"I know… but we need to, you're badly hurt."

He tried struggling off the girl holding him, "I-I'm fine! We need to find Pi-" the pain from his rib emerged and quickly made him light-headed. He lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>…<em>the sound… of a helicopter?<em>

"It's okay, we're almost there…"

_Anabel …?_

Ash blanked out again. Feeling nothing, thinking nothing.

* * *

><p>…<p>

…

…_someone's there. Above me…_

"_He's- _"He's regaining consciousness." the voice blurred oddly between _thought_ and **sound**.

_Who was… that? Sounded… like an old man._

"Oh thank goodness! Ash! Are you okay?"

_That's not Anabel… is that Dawn? No…? _

"It's me! Angie!"

…_Angie? …Did Angie save me? …I thought that was Anabel._

Moaning through his closed mouth, Ash slowly remembered how to move his lips… "_Ann… An-Angie? Where's Ana..bel?_"

A small **gasp** "She went after Team Rocket after she handed you over to me." The girl's voice trembled, "_Oh Ash…_"

Ash still felt unconscious. The darkness that surrounded his sight gave him a strange sensation. The only thing that felt normal was sound… though even that confused him. As Angie's voice reached him, he noticed its difference from Anabel's. It would be the only way he could differentiate people from now on. An idea that slightly scared him. _Angie's voice is more… like a boy's. Anabel sounded a lot more mature. Is that how they always sounded like? I wonder what Dawn and Brock sound like._

He played with his thoughts for a few minutes before asking what had really been on his mind, "…so when do I get my sight back?"

"I'm sorry, but we can't fix your eyesight without going through surgery." the older man's voice now responded. It was cold, stiff, and distant. Whoever this man was,_ he certainly didn't care about what happened to me_, Ash considered. _Or maybe he's just too used to this job?_

"So why can't I have the surgery?"

"Young man, I don't mean to offend, but I doubt you could afford such an expensive procedure. Especially to risk it on something with such little success rate." he responded bluntly.

"_Little?_ But you're a doctor! You should be able to fix this, right?" Ash felt a fragment of bitterness run through him.

"Young man, I wish I could say that I could. I wish I could say that we doctors could fix everything. But in a world of pokémon, we just don't have the amount of research and manpower to care for humans." the older man's voice returned Ash's bitterness. "For now, we don't. Not for some years. And without it, I'm afraid we have too little medical knowledge to guarantee any proper procedure to cure your blindness."

…

"How much would it be?"

"The same price to start a new Gym." Simple. Quick. Indifferent. "Perhaps more, little chance to be less."

A compassionate hand lay softly on his arm… _must be Angie._

"So what am I supposed to do now?" defeat ringing silently in his throat.

A silence filled the air… followed by the **rustle** of papers with the response of the older man… though Ash could tell he was looking away by how his voice sounded hollowed out, _"We do have a therapy here that would help you learn how to interact with things while blind, you could purchase a guide pokémon, or you can depend on others as guides."_

"Let me take care of you, Ash." _That's Angie's voice again._ _But it sounds different…_

Ash thought hard. There was something he had to make sure of.

"What about Pokémon Battles? Would I still be able to compete in them?" He turned in the direction of the doctor's voice.

…

_An odd feeling in the air._ "…there are no rules that state that handicap Trainers cannot compete – blind or otherwise." the doctor said with a hint of amusement in his voice. _These people and their Pokémon, honestly._ the doctor thought to himself.

A grin ran across Ash's face. The muscles flinching to press a smile on his face felt a tad foreign. The darkness making every action of his feel far more empty… yet more special… _more… specific._

"_But Ash…_" a hint of concern flashed in Angie's voice.

"Hm?"

He felt her hand running up and down his arm… "How are you going to against anyone blind?"

"You saying I can't beat them just because I can't see them?" Ash growled his pride.

**A sigh.** _Concern? Embarrassment? Exhaustion?_

"_Ash…_ think about it. If you can't see your opponent's pokémon…" she paused to let it sink in, "…how will you be able to command your pokémon to fight them? How will you know where they are? What they're doing? Where they're going? What they're planning next?"

_She was right._ This realization hit him hard.

He glimpsed at the idea of giving up, of letting her win, but that glimpse led to awful days sitting in silence at home… _No, there's gotta' be a way… some way… somehow… something…_

"There's gotta' be a way…" he echoed his thoughts and continued trying to think. He wouldn't even know where to start with the thought. He was just hoping something would come up, or for someone to suggest something… _This is usually when Brock comes up with something. Or when I come up with something. Or someone calls… or something… _Angie's quietness and pause in movements had only shown that she was thinking the same.

"For now," the doctor interrupted their thoughts, "you're free to return home." The doctor **shuffled** in steps, the voice trailing off to another corner of the room. "Take it slowly for the first few days, and remember about that rib."

"What rib?" Ash questioned curiously as he sat up. A dulling pain spread and he was forced back down to the bed. "_Ow…_" a small grunt escaped his lips… _THAT rib…_

"Take it slow, lie down often, and don't move around too much." the doctor suggested with a monotone emotion, as if he were reading from a script, "and if he has any further problems with the pain, please give him this medication."

The sound of pills pressing against one another was heard.

_It sounded like a small bag. Why I don't get any pills in a bottle? Is that too expensive too?_

"Of course." Angie responded to the doctor, as she was handed the medicine.

Her soft hand slipped underneath his neck as it wrapped around his shoulder. As he was lifted from the bed, he felt her other hand wrap his arm around her shoulder. She felt warmer suddenly.

"You okay, Angie?"

"_Y-yeah…_ Let's get you home." Her arms struggled, yet their balance felt strong – stiff, in a manner.

_I sure hope she isn't sick... I'd have a cold WITH my broken rib and blindness. Wouldn't that be a day…_ The thought invited another smile from his mouth, with the movement of his cheeks and lips becoming noticeable again. _I wonder if there's medication for that._

With a bit of a struggle, the two summer friends exited the hospital and rode a homeward taxi.

* * *

><p>"<em>Breakfast's ready!"<em> a voice announced through the house.

"Coming!" Ash jumped off his bed with a spring and ran down the steps. _Alright! Didn't trip once yet!_

It had been three weeks since he woke from that hospital. Three whole weeks since that accident. _Or maybe a few days more than three weeks…_ Ash wasn't sure if he had regained consciousness on the same day he had fainted from the accident. For all he knew, he was out for a month. Whatever the case was, nobody thought it was important enough to tell him.

His return home was welcome, but his condition wasn't… his mother didn't take his accident well… _What mom would?_ She had spent an entire day crying as she babied him for anything he wanted- needed- and things he neither wanted nor needed. It was a rough first day to say the least, but Ash's mother seemed to have cheered up slowly with each passing day.

Throughout the three weeks in the house his friends came to visit him.

Dawn and Brock were the first to arrive.

The two's guilt was awkward and heavy. They had blamed themselves for not being able to help him in that disaster, but Ash assured them that it was fine – that it was his fault that he ran off carelessly like that. Normally he wouldn't have been so quick to admit to his mistakes, but he was in no position to say otherwise. He did get himself blind and broken because of all the trouble.

As with any true friend's concern; forgiveness and relief from responsibility is never taken lightly. To say they wouldn't let him take the blame was an understatement – but a stressed yell from Dawn quickly ended the conversation, with admittance that he was too hasty – and that they were too slow.

The conversation led to other concerns, other topics, other stories… it then led to something more current, something more important, something that the entire meeting was depending on: "… what now?"

It took convincing. It took a lot of convincing. And it took more time and care than for a pokémon egg to hatch, but Ash managed to push Dawn into continuing her journey as a Coordinator, and for Brock to accompany her. Journeys in the Pokémon World were tough, and support was a precious commodity – but most important to Ash: _it gets lonely, and friends keep you from turning back and running home_.

Dawn would need the help more than he needed it now. For now, his journey was over. A handicapped Trainer stuck in bed all day. Any sense of self-pity was overwritten by his yearning for Dawn to complete her goal. He wouldn't want to hold her back from that; _she has a lot to offer to the Coordinator world_.

With a new destiny set and a determination renewed, it was time for the two to leave.  
>Goodbyes were exchanged and loose promises were left in the wind.<p>

For some time, Ash knew Dawn had stayed long after Brock had left the room. He wasn't sure why, but she had stood in silence near his bed. With a quick rub on his shoulder with her lengthy fingers, she gave a sigh and left the room.

Misty was the next to arrive. _And just as he had expected_, she had stormed in with all the fury of a massive wave. Spits of insults and unintelligible complaints were fired from her mouth. He was surprised that she couldn't literally breathe fire with her temperament. The visit was spent with yells for stupidity and recklessness. At times he tried to fight back, but was shot down every time. It was like battling an incoming tsunami; a person could make it splash and could even stop some of it, but it was impossible for one to prevent the waves from damaging everything in its path. And in that moment, Ash's pride was its target.

To give a small sense of relief, Misty's voice would sometimes crack to give away a real sense of concern, but it would never last long enough.

Misty's time was short; she had spent too much time away from her Gym just trying to get to Ash's house. She obviously had no time for the visit, a point which she made abundantly clear, but she had – and she blamed him for it. She had left the following day –still angry, still Misty.

On the second week, May had vid-called him.

The conversation was awkward and often had a deafening silence. Ash took his time during the call to notice how different a voice was on a call, how it was hard to notice certain changes through the silent static. It was the only thing he could do to ignore the uncomfortable quiet.

"_I gotta' go…"_ was the last thing she had to say.

Tracey and Gary visited at the same time by midweek, one showing kind concern – and the other showing harsh concern. Their treatment was similar to a _good cop - bad cop_ routine, except they were closer to a strange couple. _Yech!_ That was not a thought Ash wanted to hold onto.

The two were trying to help him cope with his blindness, but both in two very different manners; one showing how things weren't too different even when blind, the other showing that blindness was just a wall that he had to break through. There may have been some useful lessons in their words… if the two teachers weren't so contradicting. Though Tracey had mentioned they were complimentary. Gary, however, insisted that Tracey's explanations were just confusing Ash. Gary was right, but the same could have been said about his lecture as well.

They left eventually, leaving the young boy both grateful and even more confused.

However, Tracey, much like Dawn, didn't leave immediately. He stayed, taking his time with whatever he busied himself with. Though unlike Dawn's stay, Ash knew what Tracey was doing. The **scritch-scratch** of paper was enough to tell him that he had been drawing. Drawing what, he _wasn't sure_…

"You look like a completely different person when you're not judging everything you see, you know that?" Tracey simply stated. And with a pat on Ash's head, the sketch-artist left.

Oddest of the visits, was the girl named Duplica. A girl Ash had no real relationship with other than acquaintance and _"part-time friend"_. That title felt a bit cold, but it was the only way he could honestly describe her. They never spent exclusive time with one another in the past – her visit may have been their first time alone in a room together as far as he knew.

Whatever the case was, Ash enjoyed her visit the most. She had spent most of her visit with him trying to perfect her voice mimicry to fool him. Ash found it quite funny that he couldn't be fooled by her as easily anymore, which only angered the girl. He could have admitted that he was fooled once or twice, but to give her that credit might have ruined the fun.

The lengths she'd go to trick him was a bit much; leaving and re-entering the room with a new voice, making distant voices outside his window as she hung on the top of his roof, mimicking a conversation between two to three people. It was entertaining, if anything. And he certainly was grateful for the light-hearted treatment she was giving him. All the other heavy-feeling visits had become far too depressing for his tastes.

As Ash was treated with her company, he realized that he wasn't entirely sure what the purpose of her visit was… she hardly tried to cheer him up or tease him about his lack of eyesight… in fact, she never mentioned it. She had never voiced any concern or curiosity. She just spent the rest of her time with him talking and joking. As if nothing was wrong at all.

Whatever the reason may have been, she left as nonchalantly as she came. A simple "Bye!" and she was gone.

And just two days ago, Anabel arrived.

Opposite of what would happen each time a friend came to visit; it was Ash that ran up to Anabel with a hundred questions. She ignored his panicked interrogation and answered all of them at once by placing a tired pikachu on his head.

His happiness at its highest, Ash hugged Anabel with all his strength. He noted that doing so made her very stiff, and she felt very warm – possibly even hot. It would have been something he would have been affected by – if it weren't for the fact that at that moment all he cared about was that someone brought his best friend back to him.

He admitted that his time reunited with his best friend was the best medicine he could have ever received. Pikachu always knew him the best, and their ability to communicate with foreign words the other fully understood without translation helped in their ability to converse with one other despite his new weakness.

Pikachu showed honest concern for Ash's lack of eyesight, but never seemed to think it would really stop his best friend and trainer from doing what he wanted to do. This treatment had encouraged Ash, more than anything else, to never feel hopeless in even the most pathetic situations during his blindness.

"Hey Pikachu! Breakfast!" Ash called out as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

He felt his best friend land roughly on his head as he walked into the kitchen.

"Morning Pikachu." Ash grinned as he scratched the back of Pikachu's ear.

"Pika pika." Pikachu responded happily.

Before the boy could reach the table, Ash felt his yellow pokémon grab at his hair suddenly. _"Pika!"_

Ash instinctively hopped forward. "Missed me!" he exclaimed with an obvious air of pride.

"You're lucky Pikachu's with you now. You were easy prey before that." a familiar voice said to his right.

"Just give it up, Angie. It's getting easier to avoid your tripping these days. Especially with how loud you breathe." Ash teased.

_Angie…._

Angie had stayed with him this entire time.

No matter how depressed he was, how angry he was, or how stubborn he was, she stuck with him during this rough patch in his life. She had been helping him do his daily activities around the house – from things as simple as walking, to even the embarrassing, such as helping him find his clothes when his mother wasn't around.

Ash was grateful for all her help and her company. Without her, he admitted he would have slowly drowned into a miserable slump. He also admitted that may have been more than just grateful if it weren't for all her _"helpful pranks"_.

"Now now you two…" Ash's mother intervened from the other side of the kitchen. "Sit down have some breakfast. And Angie, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't trip my son on the tiles. I just cleaned them."

Angie gave a giggle and helped Ash into his seat.

"Hey, I can do this." Ash grunted in rebellion.

"Whatever, I just don't want you to destroy breakfast again."

"That was one time."

"That was also yesterday." Angie moved Ash's hands over the table, allowing him to feel where his plate and utensils were, "So what do you want on your plate?"

"_Mmmm… _some of that bacon! It smells _great_."

"That's sausage."

"Oh, right. Sausages, and maybe some of that toast."

"That's hash browns."

"Fine, whatever, just give me a bit of everything! I'm starving!"

Despite Ash's hearing becoming far more sensitive at judging and discerning distance, people, and objects, his sense of smell left much to be desired.

"Not until you say the magic words." Angie giggled.

"_Pleeeease!_"

As Angie **scraped** and **scooped** the food onto the plate, Ash's mother remarked with a pleasing tone, "My my, teaching my little Ash some manners! You'll make a great wife for him someday."

"_Wh-WHAT?_" Angie nearly dropped the food in her hands.

"Mom quit teasing Angie." Ash defended, mostly to protect his food from falling to the ground.

"I'm pretty sure I'm encouraging, not teasing." Ash's mother had giggled in delight at her son's defense for his loyal _'girlfriend'_. "Don't you think she'd make a great wife, Ash?"

Ash couldn't find anything to respond to the comment. Not that he'd ever want to respond to any of his mom's entrapping comments. His only response was a hot sensation that spread across his face.

He heard a **clanging** of plate and utensils in front of him. "_H-here's your food._" Angie's voice stuttered as she readied her own food.

"_Th-Thanks_."

"Awwwww, you two will make a perfect couple! I can't wait for grandkids!"

…

Breakfast was eaten in awkward silence.


	2. Chapter 2 Training

"Morning Ash!"

"Huh?"

"_Um_, hello?"

"**Oh**! Anabel." _That was weird, that didn't sound like Anabel for a second. _Ash thought to himself in reaction to her higher-pitch. "Something cheer you up today?"

"Nothing in particular. Just a_ good_ morning."

_Good morning? She slept outside on our lawn…_

Unlike Angie who had been given a room by Ms. Ketchum, Anabel wasn't so lucky. With only one small guest room, Anabel couldn't be offered much for staying over. She had refused sleeping in the living room or sharing a room, and instead pushed the idea to have her be able to sleep on the lawn.

Ms. Ketchum demanded sternly against the choice, but Anabel was completely determined to sleep in the backyard lawn… for unknown reasons. To say Ms. Ketchum agreed wouldn't have been accurate. Ash's mother had simply given up on the subject, releasing any responsibility and hinting at future _"I told you so"_s if Anabel were to ever find herself miserable or uncomfortable.

"Come on, I want to show you something!" Anabel squeaked into a higher pitch.

Ash tilted his head in confusion. _There she goes again with that voice._

Before he could give a response, he felt Anabel's soft fingers latch onto his. "Well, not _show-show_, but you'll see what I mean. Well not _see_, but – _Ah!_ I just keep messing up. _Er_… just come on!" Anabel had lowered her voice into its more recognizable tone, though still having a more child-like air to it.

_I wonder where she's taking m- whoah._

Suddenly the familiar sounds of Ash's yard went hollow, as if something had buffed them out.

"Huh?" Ash tilted his head around and reached out with his hands. It felt different. It sounded different. But what it was, he had no idea. "What is this? I don't remember anything in my backyard."

"I made it last night!" exclaimed Anabel with a frightfully girlish tone of pride. "Think of it as your own personal training area!"

"_Personal… training_? What is all this?" Ash's fingers would touch air mostly, but would feel poles and fabric whenever he reached too far in certain directions. The cold of the steel poles and difference of fabric was almost like static to his touch – he'd pull away the instant he had made contact with them. It wasn't the feeling that shocked him, but the fact that they _shouldn't be there_. Nothing was ever in the Ketchum backyard. _Nothing. _

"It's like a tunnel." Anabel described simply. "I made it so that you can hear the sounds in here clearly, as well as…" She grunted as she seemed to be pulling on something heavy. Suddenly, sounds from other areas within and outside the yard trickled in. "…a switch that can adjust how much sound gets in from the outside!"

"_Uh… wow… _but what is it supposed to do?" The boy trainer stood bewildered.

A sound of a lever **turned**, and the sound of the outside was **buffered** once again. Ash heard **three steps** **in the grass**.

"Where am I standing Ash?"

"What?"

Anabel's voice calmed and slowed, as if she were trying to explain something complicated to a child, "_Where – am – I – standing_?"

"To… my left?"

**Five steps.**

"How about now?"

"Maybe a little to the right? Kind of further. That's nice and all, Anabel, but wha—"

**A snapping sound**_._

"What did I just do?"

"What?"

"I said… _what did I just do_?" her voice copied her earlier almost-offensively slow tone.

"I'm not sure, snap your finger?"

"To my left or my right?"

"How would I know that?"

"Just guess."

"…left?"

"Good. How about…"

**CRIIIIIIIIIK.** The noise of the lever turning again.

Sound started flooding in, even louder now.

**A few steps.**_ How many steps was that? Probably four. _Ash did his best to listen to every movement around him – afraid he'd be tested on it.

"Where am I now?"

"To… my left?"

Anabel giggled.

**CRIIIK**_._ Sound **buffered** out once again.

Anabel was now suddenly right in front of him. "So..?"

"_So… what?_"

A slight **sigh** came from Anabel's mouth. _Smells like blueberries? …or soda… I can't tell._

"You were wrong when the sound barrier wasn't there."

Ash scratched his head, dumbfounded.

He tried thinking. What to think of, he wasn't sure. _All this seemed a bit sill–_ suddenly, he understood.

"_**OH!**_ Will this help me learn how to handle sound better? Like for walking?"

Anabel's smooth fingertip was on Ash's nose. _Why's she more friendly now?_

"_No._ You can learn that from just walking around. This little tunnel we've got..." She was uncomfortably close. "_…is special._"

Ash gulped.

A familiar **click**, a sound of air being **vacuumed** out, followed by an all-too-memorable **snap**.

_A poké ball!_

"_Eee!_" came a sound from below.

"Hey Espeon!" Ash recognized her. He attempted smiling in her direction. "Want to play with Pikachu? He's inside the house right now."

Anabel's Espeon had spent most of her time in Ash's residence keeping Pikachu company. A fact that he had been grateful for, as his blindness did not offer much in fun. _…well, other than in Angie humiliating me on a daily basis._

"I'm afraid we don't have time to play, Ash." Anabel's voice suddenly became serious.

**Click. Vacuum.** "Catch!"

"Huh?" Ash reached out his hands in the direction of an object being tossed in the air – which he found much easier to hear in the sound tunnel. With more luck than skill, he was able to catch it.

"Go ahead, let out your friend."

"_Um…_ okay! Come out, _whoever this one is_!" Ash cheered as he gleefully threw the poké ball. It had been his first in a long time.

**Snap. **"CORPHISH!" a sound on Ash's left.

"_HEY!_ Corphish! How've you been buddy?" Ash asked happily at the sound of a familiar pokémon.

"_Cor?_" a hint of uncertainty flowed through the Pokémon's voice.

It took a while for Ash to realize that he must have been staring in the wrong direction of the sound.

He scratched his hair in embarrassment as he turned in a different direction. "_Oh yeah_, you don't know about me going blind yet… Well, thing is –"

"No time for memory lane, Ash." Anabel interrupted, "It's time we have a pokémon battle."

"_What?_ I'm blind! That's not fair!"

"Then you've got two choices. Listen carefully to the battlefield," her finger pushed against his chest, forcing him back a step, "or give up now and go back to Angie tripping you all day." Anabel spat to get Ash's competitive spirit flowing.

"Alright then! A battle it is!" a smirk ran across his face.

_That's the Ash I know. Maybe this exercise might just allow you to sense what your pokémon are feeling better…_ Anabel thought happily. _Don't worry… I'll keep things easy for you. I'll use voice commands for now._

"Espeon! Quick attack!"

"Corphish! Dig!"

… _thank you, Anabel…_

"_AAAAAAAAAASH!_" Angie stuck her head out of the door, "I swear, where is that boy?"

The tomboy girl stepped out slowly, looking in several directions to find the blind trainer.

A sound of laughter in the distance.

"Huh?" Angie followed after it. _Coming from the backyard…_

"_Whoah!_ When did that get here?" Angie stared in surprise at a large construction that mysteriously appeared in the once empty lawn.

"_Oh hey Angie._" Ash's voice hummed from below her view.

Angie looked down to find Ash and Anabel lying on their backs, both extremely exhausted. _And what have these two been up to?_

"Ash, don't you want to come in for lunch?"

"Nah, Anabel made some awesome sandwiches for us. I'm stuffed."

Angie shot a glare in Anabel's direction.

_What did I do? _Anabel blinked in surprised at Angie's sudden change of behavior. _Ohhh… I see how it is._ She shot the glare back with a smirk.

"Don't worry Angie, Ash and I were merely just _training_." Anabel emphasized the last word to sting.

"T-Training?"

"Oh yeah! Angie, Anabel's teaching me how to battle with pokémon without needing to see!" Ash exclaimed excitedly, "I still need more practice, but I'm definitely feeling it out!"

_Feeling…_ Anabel's face lit up with satisfaction from that word. Her mind snapped back into reality and used the new feeling of fulfillment to strike Angie again. "Ash has been improving a lot. And who knows…" She closed her eyes as a smile ran across her face. "He might be able to compete in tournaments soon… after a few more training sessions with me, that is."

"_**OW!**_" Ash felt a tugging on his ears as he was roughly lifted and dragged into the direction of the house.

"Just get in the house and eat your lunch, your mom worked hard on it." Angie said with a growled tone running through every word.

Her grip tightened as she shot another glare back at Anabel…

_You honestly think you have a chance with him?_ Anabel released her mocking emotions in the tomboy's direction, smirking in arrogant challenge.

_Warmth._

The sun's warmth woke Ash to another sightless morning.

He began his morning as he always did… with a daily judgment of whether he missed his eyesight or not_. I dunno, the mornings still feel the same. It's not so bad._

He smiled as he dropped his feet to the floor.

"_**PIIIIKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**_ a surge of electricity flowed through the still waking boy's body.

"_**AAAHHHHHHHH! IIIII'M SSSOOORRRRRYYYY PIKAAACHUUUUUUU!"**_

Ash fell to the floor, the electricity stopping immediately after. His body twitched constantly as his muscles slowly began to relax.

The smell of burnt clothes and hair ran across Ash's nose.

"_O-Ow…_ now I definitely need a shower."

"_Chu…_" Pikachu sighed in annoyance as he trotted out of the room.

"**Ash are you okay?**"

Angie's concerned voice suddenly felt louder than normal to the still-somewhat tired boy.

"_Y-Yeah yeah._" the electrified trainer stuttered as he tried to remove a ringing from his ears, "I just accidentally stepped on Pikachu this morning."

"_Oh okay…_" a relieved **sigh** escaped her lips, "So need any help today?"

"Help?"

"Yeah, with your shower. I heard you say you needed one."

"_W-what d-do you mean help?_" Ash suddenly felt blood rush to his face.

"_N-not that way!_ I mean do you want me to help you find where the soap and shampoo is before you get undressed!" Angie explained somewhat angrily at the boy's forgetfulness. _Geez Ash, we do this every time and you still forget…_

"Oh right! _Um…_ no thanks! I'm sure I can do it myself this time."

"You sure?"

"Of course! I've been training with Anabel, remember?" Ash voiced confidently.

"_Riiiiight, _forgive me_._" She left the room and headed downstairs.

_Hm? Sarcasm?_ Ash caught her last tone easily._ I bet she's planning to trip me again!_

As he stretched and walked towards the bathroom, he slowed to a relax state. Letting his toes grip onto the carpet and pulling at it with each step, Ash enjoyed the soft textures against the soles of his feet. _I never knew how nice this carpet was before._

Once he reached the entrance of the bathroom, however, his attitude changed. A change of stance, a held breath, and a heightened sense of focus occurred all at once. _You won't get me this time…_

…

_Hm?_

No odd sound, no breathing, no weird silent spot, _nothing_. If Angie was somewhere in the bathroom, she was completely invisible to him.

"I know you're here somewhere, Angie." Ash boasted a bluff.

"_What?_" Angie's voice came from downstairs.

"Oh! _Uhm…_ **nothing!**"

_Guess I'm just being paranoid._ the boy thought as he walked onto the cold tiles of the bathroom floor.

Downstairs, Angie continued to help Mr. Mime with the dishes.

"Was Ash calling me?" Ash's mom Delia questioned curiously from the dining table.

"No, he was talking to me." Angie answered calmly.

"Aren't you going to see what he wanted?"

"Nah, I already know what he was expecting."

Delia tilted her head in curiosity.

…

A sudden loud **BANG** hit the floor upstairs, followed by several other objects **crashing** onto a tiled floor.

"_OWWWWWWWWWW!_" a stressed voice echoed.

Angie giggled._ "Train that."_ she whispered under her breath while she dried off her hands. "I'll check on him!" she exclaimed to Ash's mother as she ran up the stairs.

…

**Knock Knock Knock**

"_Owww…_ who is it?"

"_You okay, Ash?"_

"Yeah, I think so. There was a bar of soap on the floor of the bathtub."

"_A little present from me."_

"What?"

"_Nothing! …Just hurry up with your shower, I'm starving."_

"Hey Ash, you want to train today?"

"_Huh?_ Angie?" Ash double-checked his thoughts to make sure he heard it right. "Actually I was planning to train with Anabel today." _Or at least, I hope she wants to._

Ash had been preparing for this time in the day. The training Anabel had held for him every day since that morning had become a highlight of his. He couldn't wait, he couldn't be bothered, and he certainly couldn't wait. _No wait, I thought that already…_

"Oh, well, that's fine. Tell me how it goes."

The door closed behind the green haired girl as she went back inside.

She turned and stared at the door knowingly.

…

A few moments later, she heard a knock.

With a grin, Angie opened the door.

"Hey Angie, can you read this for me?" Ash handed her a slip of paper.

'_To Ms. Ketchum or Angie,_

_Please tell Ash I'll be right back. I have to get my Espeon to the Pokémon Center, I think she ate something bad._

_-Anabel'_

"What's it say? I just found it on a rock she said she'd meet me at."

"Oh, it says that she won't be back for a while. Probably some appointment." Angie snickered, thinking of the month-old food she fed to the unsuspecting psychic pokémon this morning.

"I was really looking forward to training with her today." Ash whined. "_Ah well._ I guess I ca-"

"You could always train with me, Ash." Angie stated simply.

"Really?" Ash asked excitedly, "Let's hurry up and get out there!"

A giggle came from Angie's voice, "Sure thing, just let me get my stuff."

_Angie sounds a lot nicer now. I guess she really wanted to train with me._

"Okay! Ready!"

"Well that was fast."

"Come on come on come on!"

Ash felt Angie's rough yet slender fingers grip around his sleeve. _I hope she doesn't drag me through the bushes._ was all he could think before being yanked out the door.

She began running, towing him quickly out of the immediate area.

His foot tripped against something. Feeling himself falling, Ash reached out to regain his balance.

The green-haired tomboy was hit with a sudden blush when an arm wrapped around her waist. _Ash…_

"**S-Slow down, Angie!** I don't know where we're going if you're running this fast!"

"_Right_, sorry."

The shift down of speeds almost made Ash crash into Angie. He caught himself in time.

Angie shook off an idea. She felt ridiculous for being disappointed that he hadn't crashed into her. _That's such a stupid thing to wish for…_

The two continued their walk down a small pathway, his hand still unknowingly around her waist. She didn't bother moving it away or complaining. She liked it there, as embarrassing as it was for her to admit.

To keep the thoughts from moving to unknown territory, Angie busied herself by watching the scenery around her. _Today is beautiful though… the sky, the flowers, the trees, the river, everything about this little town is so perfect. _"No wonder Ash turned out so innocent…"

"No wonder _what_?"

Angie covered her mouth immediately. _Did I just say that out loud? I gotta' be careful._

_What does she mean innocent? Does she mean I'm gullible?_ The accidental blurt from Angie was enough to get Ash suspicious.

"Alright, where are you taking me?" With a tug, Ash planted his feet to the ground.

Angie turned, staring at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not stupid. Anabel doesn't have any appointments – does she?"

…

She didn't answer.

"So where are you planning on taking me? Get me lost in the woods? Toss me in the river? Make me run into walls all day?"

The girl's tone rose in temperature, "_**Why in the world would I do that?**_"

"Well, why else would you want to drag me all the way out here? We could've trained in the backyard. Admit it, you're just trying to pull another pra—"

Ash was quickly yanked from his spot and dragged hastily through grass and dirt.

"_**WAAAAAAAHHHHHH WHAT ARE YOU DOING!**_" _Not through the bushes not through the bushes please!_

Angie was running as fast as she could, dragging the poor boy without much care. Panic ran through her thoughts as she continued her sprint – retreating from a sight that threatened her entire plan. _Shoot! Was that Anabel? How did she get back so fast? I have to get the spot before she sees us!_

Looking back at the path they were originally on, Angie caught a glance of a lilac-haired girl staring curiously into the woods.

_Crap! Please don't see us! Please don't see us! Please don't let her see us!_

"_**ANGIE! SLOW DOW-**_"

Angie covered Ash's mouth tightly and wrapped her other arm around his waist.

_Crap he's heavy!_ With all her strength, the young woman lifted Ash over her shoulder and started running faster. _Come on! Come on! Come on! We're almost there!_

Ash managed to snuggle his mouth out of her smothering hand. "_**Anabel?**_"

Angie stopped in her tracks. With one smooth combination she threw Ash to the ground, grabbed her poké ball, turned and scanned the area.

_Huh? No one's here._

"**HA! I knew it!** You **ARE** trying to hide me from Anabel!" Ash laughed in victory.

"_**Wh-Wha-? **_You mean she _**ISN'T**_ here?"

"I'm blind. How would I see her?" Ash continued to laugh, but was interrupted when he was abruptly picked up and thrown through the air. The quiet moment in mid-air felt blissful to him. _I feel like I'm flying, too bad it ends with a-_ **CRASH.**

Gripping his head and hip, the blind trainer slowly crawled into a sitting position. "_Owowowowww…_ what the heck was that for?"

"We're here." Angie's voice had gotten lighter.

"Here _where_?"

"Take out your pokémon, we're going to battle."

"_Ummm…_"

…

"Let me guess…"

"Yup. Don't have any pokémon on me."

Angie slapped her palm to her face. "**Why the heck would you go out to train with pokémon with no pokémon?**"

"That's the thing, Anabel usually carries my poké balls. She said she'd allow me to carry my poké ball belt again if I could beat her just once."

"So wait, you _**HAVEN'T**_ beaten her yet?"

Ash waved frantically in front of his eyes, "I'm friggin' blind! I'm still not that good at the whole 'blind-battling' thing."

A heavy **sigh** escaped Anabel. **Twelve steps**_._ Ash felt her firm grip on his shoulders as he was lifted to his feet.

"Alright then, let's train without them."

"Now look who's sounding crazy. How do you train with pokémon without pokémon?" Ash mocked with a hint of laughter.

"We don't. We train you."

"_Train me_? If we're going to do the whole walking thing again with the ha –"

_Blank_. A dull feeling went throughout his body as air escaped from his lungs.

_Did she just punch me in the stomach?_

"_Wh-__**What was that for?**_"

"Quit whining, Ash! If you can take a direct hit from Pikachu every day, I'd think you could handle a punch from a girl!"

"_**Why you!**_" Ash grit his teeth and dug his feet into the ground.

…

…

"Well?"

"Well _what_?"

"Aren't you going to fight back?"

"_**What?**_ I can't hit a girl!"

"_Such a gentleman_, but I'm –" her firm hand on his chest, her **breath** to his side, a tap of her shoe on the back of his foot, "NOT JUST SOME GIRL!" In one strong action, Ash was pushed back and lost complete control of his balance. He hit the ground hard, another exhalation of surprise coming from his lips.

"_Ow…_ you really like beating up on blind kids, don't you?"

"Only whiny ones who keep making up excuses for how weak they are."

_Oh so that's how you want to play?_ He frowned.

"H-Hey… can I hav little help? _I can't really feel my left arm…_"

"_Oh no…_ _**ASH ARE YOU OKAY?**_" Angie ran to his side and started lifting him off the grass in worried panic.

Ash's arms quickly wrapped around her elbow. Before she could blush, Ash yelled out, **"Gotcha!"** With a twist of his body, Angie found herself flying off the ground and landing on her back with a loud **thud**.

"A little trick I learned from the Arena Tycoon of the Battle Arena!" he boasted.

Angie grunted in defiance. She patted dirt off her sleeves before she readied into her next stance… "Well here's a little trick I learned from training with a Hitmonlee!"

"You've trained with a Hitmo – _**UGH!**_" Ash shoved his hands between his legs. He curled up in utter pain, tears nearly flowing from his eyes. "_N-not cool._" he squeaked with a higher than normal pitch.

"Gotta' be ready for anything." Angie giggled. "Now get up, let's see how you can handle me in a fair fight… without all that whining of yours."

"_Grrrr! You're on!_"

The door opened slowly.

A cup and plate fell to the floor with a **clang**.

Delia gasped at the sight of the girl and boy walking into her home. Several cuts and bruises marked their skin, and grass stains decorated their ruined clothes.

"**What happened to you two?"**

Angie giggled.

Ash chuckled.

They burst into laughter, much to the confusion and concern of Delia and Anabel.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course! I've got this!"

"_Well…_ alright. _Only if you're really sure…_" Anabel bit her lip nervously, "Espeon, use Iron Tail on Ash! Metagross, use Psychic on Pikachu!"

"Come on Pikachu! Use Agility and get around Metagross!"

Running towards the lavender psychic pokémon, Ash crossed his arms to take the incoming blow.

**SMASH.**

A hot and dull pain spread throughout his forearms as he felt himself being shot off the ground from the impact. _"GAHH!"_

"**ASH!**" Anabel called out in alarm.

"_D-Don't worry!_ _**I got this.**_" Ash smirked as he leaned against a tree. "Pikachu! Jump off Metagross and send a Thunderbolt at Espeon!"

"Espeon! Dodge it and counter with Zap Cannon!" Anabel's attention returned to the battlefield with cool calculation. "Metagross Psychic again on Pikachu!"

"_EEE!_" the Espeon yelped, a tremor of panic in its tone.

"_W-What?_" Anabel turned towards her beloved pokémon friend in surprise.

"You shouldn't have forgotten about me!" Ash had snatched up the psychic pokémon by the tail. "Pikachu! Turn and Volt Tackle Metagross!"

"_Pika!_"

Before the half-Steel Pokémon's psychic blast could hit the yellow Mouse Pokémon, it dodged at the last minute – striking down like lightning at the giant creature. **KSSHH. **The ground shook at the sheer power let loose by the comparatively tiny pokémon.

"_**GWUUUUHHHHHHHH!"**_

"Metagross!"

"Good job, Pikachu!" Ash nodded in his partner's direction as he released Espeon by throwing her into the air.

"Espeon! Quick Attack Pikachu!"

"_I keep telling you!_" Ash exclaimed loudly. "_**Don't – forget – about – me**_**!**"

The Sun Pokémon yapped in panic, as it was caught completely off guard. Its tail had been grabbed again, this time during its dashing attack.

"Espeon!"

Using the momentum from its attack, Ash planted his feet to the ground and swung Espeon towards Pikachu. "Now Pikachu!"

Anabel's eyes widened. Not from Ash's ability to catch Espeon in mid-air despite his blindness, though that itself was inhumanly impressive. Not from his ability to throw her pokémon towards the exact location of his currently quiet Pikachu, though that itself was definitely worthy of a trophy. But from…

Pikachu swung its tail as it shined bright. Its energy connected to Espeon's launched body like flint stones striking one another.

"_**Piiika!"**_

"_Eee!"_

"_Aaaannd_, finishing move!" Ash had appeared on the far end of the field, body-slamming the thrown-about pokémon into the ground.

_Ash… I heard your command._ Anabel softly pressed her hand against her chest. _Are you…?_

Her eyes watered as she watched as Ash's movements. His face was following Pikachu as the yellow pokémon dashed towards him. He caught and hugged his best friend. _All without sight._

_But was it really without sound?_

"Ash." Anabel stared directly at Ash, her eyes and tone completely serious.

"Yeah?"

_That was a pretty neat combination._

"Haha! I know! I just made it up as I went, really."

Anabel's eyes widened completely as tears flowed down her cheeks.

"_Anabel?_ What's wrong?"

"Ash… _I didn't say anything._"

"What do you mean you didn't say anything?"

Ash felt a rush of _happiness_ showering him.

"_Wh-What? D-Did I say something?_" he questioned densely.

"_Ash, I didn't say anything then either._"

"But I heard it. You said you were happy."

**A few steps in the grass. The wind blew.**_ A soft, light feeling filled the atmosphere._

The feet **gripped** the ground beneath it, **it started running**.

Ash knew what was coming, but had no idea why…

_Her arms wrapped completely around him._ Though in reality, she hadn't reached him yet. _She planted her lips against his._ Though in reality, she hadn't ever touched him.

He wasn't sure why he felt all this, imagined all these things. But whatever the case was, Anabel had finally reached him, her arms wrapping around him.

_Her lips so close… ready to enact the previous premonition…._

**SMASH.**

Anabel fell to the ground confused. A pain in her stomach. She noticed a messy shoeprint on her once-pristine shirt.

"Alright, that's close enough, purple head." Angie stood defiantly between them, her leg lowering from its stiff stance. "Ash beat you fair and square. Now give him his poké balls back."

_Anger. Now logic filling its space. Smiling._ Ash was feeling every one of Anabel's emotional thoughts… though he still couldn't fathom why.

_It doesn't matter what you do now, tomboy. I've already won Ash. _A smirk ran across Anabel's face.

Angie raised her brow at the Frontier Brain's reaction. _What's she so darn happy about?_

She turned towards Ash. Her eyes narrowed… noticing that he now looked different_… felt different_.

"Wh-What do you mean different?" he tilted his head in confusion.

Angie's eyes widened. Catching quickly onto what had happened…

"_Empathy…"_


	3. Chapter 3 Feeling

"So my son's a Psychic now?" Delia asked in curious excitement.

"_No, no, no._ Psychic's read thoughts. Ash can't really read exact thoughts." Anabel informed happily. "It's Empathy. It allows him to read emotions."

"_Oh_, _**so now he's more sensitive!**_" Ash's mother chuckled at the adorable idea.

"You know…" Ash interrupted. His head buried against the couch cushions, trying to block out feelings as if they were sound. "You'd think this would be really cool and all… but all I can ever get from it is Pikachu whining about wanting ketchup."

**Laughter **filled the room.

"_Sooooo…_" His mother was uncomfortably close to him. "What am I thinking?"

"_You want me to find out what you're thinking."_ he groaned.

Delia held her son and sobbed onto his shoulder. "_**Now my son finally knows how his mother feels!**_"

Ash sighed and patted his mother's back with an emotion of despair. He didn't know if he liked this Empathy business at all. "_Does this thing ever turn off?_" he faced in Anabel's direction.

_Why would you want it to, my love?_

Ash shivered. "_W-Why do you keep calling me that?_"

He felt a _wink hit his heart_, blushing immediately.

The Empathy trainer giggled. "No, it doesn't turn off. But you get used to it. Emotions eventually become quieter and you can even learn how to tune it out."

"You gotta' teach me how to do that."

"**Why.**" stated, rather than questioned, Angie. "You _already_ got taught something you didn't want to learn from her." She took another bite of her sandwich angrily before she continued, "_Why would you __**want**__ to learn anything else from her_."

"_Er… It's not like I wanted to learn all this!_" Ash felt the need to intervene with the tomboy's boiling emotions before she erupted. "_I just… Well…_ Some more control would be nice."

"Exactly, Angie, no need to be so –" _jealous._

Anabel had been silenced by Ash's _begging emotions_.

"**No need to be so**_** WHAT**_** exactly?**" Angie fumed.

"Now now." Delia had finally let go of her son and wiped her tears. "No fighting, you two. You have to date with my son first before you start fighting over him as a boyfriend."

Both Angie and Anabel blushed.

Angie turned away with in irritation. _Denying emotions filling her_.

Anabel sighed as her thoughts moved elsewhere. _Dreamy emotions filling her_.

Ash sat blank-faced, _extremely uncomfortable_. He has no idea how he got here. One minute he was battling with Pikachu, now he had _this_… _power… or whatever you'd call this. Curse, maybe._ Whatever it was, it helped him as much as it hindered him. The idea of hearing people's emotions seemed useful enough… but the repercussions were problematic.

_Like right now._ He sighed.

"So Ash…" Anabel fiddled with her fingers, blushing harder than she ever had.

Her emotions suddenly changed. Before this, the Frontier Brain had been very direct about her feelings towards him. Yet now she shied away from him. Ash wondered if she was just being playful before… or if she was somehow being playful now.

Now he was worried that this was actually becoming serious. _Too fast._ he felt. _Too sudden._

He never had to deal with these emotions and ideas before. Sure, the odd thought would pop every now and again, but he'd simply stomp it out before it led anywhere. _Where would the ideas lead to?_ _Stomp Stomp Stomp. _Ash had repeated his ritual before that particular thought could even breathe.

This was uncomfortable, this was strange. He's a pokémon trainer, a challenger, a future champion! Not… _this._ Whatever _this_ was. _This_ was too complicated. Too distracting. It was never about _this _stuff, it shouldn't ever be about_ this_ stuff. _…should it…?_

_STOMP STOMP STOMP_

Before Anabel could complete her request for Ash –

Before Angie could jump over the table and pop Anabel's lip to shut her up –

**The phone rang.**

_Phew._

"_**I-I'll get it!**_" Ash stumbled off the couch and walked towards the vid-phone.

The two young females glared at each other… raging fire burning in one's eyes, cool lightning sparking the other's.

"_Oh hey May! What's up?"_

Their staring contest broke.

"_You're in town? Really?"_ Ash asked with excitement. _"That's a long trip! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"_

_Bad news. _the two shared the same feeling.

Delia clapped her hands together in delight. _Oh my boy is so popular these days!_

Ash stumbled. _**"Mom! I heard that!"**_

"It's the truth, dear." She giggled, taking a sip of her tea.

* * *

><p>"You know… you don't have to keep holding onto me like that." Ash tried to pull away. "As long as we're following the roads I know where I am around here."<p>

"_I kn-know! _I mean…well,_ I guess I didn't know._" Pulling away, the girl adjusted her bandana to look busy. "S-Sorry."

Of course, looking busy didn't mean much to Ash… considering his present condition.

May **coughed** awkwardly at the silence.

The Coordinator May had arrived at the Ketchum residence exhausted and sweating profusely. Wherever she had come from, however she got there, she had gotten there quickly – and paid for it with heavy fatigue.

Sadly, as if it were some kind of harsh joke, Ash wasn't home, but was already out on the road. For whatever reason it may have been, Ash had wanted to leave early. A good decision on his part, as his presence tended to put the two bickering young women at odds with one another.

Though to May, not knowing of any internal politics within the home, she had just found the entire situation inconvenient, and had returned into a jogging pace to find the missing Ash.

It wasn't long before she found him walking quite some distance down the road from his residence. To her surprise, her sudden shout-out of his name hadn't shocked or scared him like she thought it would. He even knew which way to face, almost seeming as if he knew she was coming. An odd perspective of the usually unprepared Ash she was familiar with, she considered.

"So _uhm…_ how's your mom doing?" she asked, trying to smooth things into a better conversation.

"She's okay." He paused, feeling out what she was trying to say. "_Oh_, and why _**did**_ you come to visit?"

May flinched, slightly _surprised_.

_Well that was sudden. _she thought to herself. _I guess I don't have to hint at it anymore…_

"_Uhm…_ well, I felt a little guilty."

"Guilty?"

"Thing is… the rest of the gang had been visiting you, and I was just… _I dunno._ Far away, _you know_?" she fumbled with her words.

"I know you cared." He had read the rest of her thought. "You really didn't have to come. The phone call was nice enough."

She smiled in relief. _Ash feels… easier to talk to… I mean, he's always been easy! But this is just going smoother than I thought it would be._

"Oh right, _about that…_"

"About what?" she looked at him curiously, unsure what he was referring to.

"The smoother-talking thing."

May stiffened. "Wh-What? _H-How d-did –_"

"Hasn't Ash told you yet?" A well-dressed girl appeared by Ash's side, clinging onto his arm.

Ash blushed at the sudden intrusion. _How did she sneak up on us?_

_I know how to hide myself rather well, Ash._

_Wh-why are you here?_

_Just watching out for y–_

Anabel was suddenly shoved aside by a casually-dressed tomboy. "Hey May."

_How did she sneak up here too?_

_That little tomboy's getting on my nerves._

_But… Anabel… You snuck up here too._

The bandana-wearing girl stared blankly as the two girls fought over their place by Ash's side. "_Uhm…_ told me what?"

"_Y-yeah_, about that." Ash inched away from the fighting girls. "I… _uh…_ sorta' _learned_ Empathy while I was recovering…" He scratched his head in embarrassment, realizing how ridiculous the statement sounded when said casually.

To say he 'learned' would have given Ash too much of a compliment. _I stumbled on it, really._ he admitted to himself. _It's not like I would've learned on it my own, anyways._

"Empathy?" The girl thought for a minute, her head tilting to the side.

…

Her jaw dropped immediately. An old memory was recalled. "_**Empathy?**_ Ash learned_** Empathy?**_" her face showing more than just disbelief.

"_Y-Yeah…_ Remember when Anabel tried to teach us that?" Ash nervously voiced her memory, "_I kind of accidentally learned it while I was training._"

"_Accidentally?_" The green-haired girl interrupted. "Anabel has been **trying** to teach him that since she got here!" she growled in annoyance.

An attack meant to reveal dishonest intentions of Anabel's stay, only offered the Empathic bragging rights at this point, as she had been successful in her intentions.

"And I have you to thank, Angie." Anabel hummed proudly. "Without the crazy ideas you put into Ash's head, he probably would have never reached that point of awareness."

"_Crazy ideas?_" May asked quietly to herself, still in shock at the turn of events.

"_Y-yeah, I guess it was pretty crazy if actually think about it…_" Ash laughed nervously. "Thing is, Angie got me to train without pokémon."

"_Training without pokémon is normal._ Fighting **AGAINST** pokémon **without** pokémon **wasn't** my idea." Angie spit out a toothpick she had been chewing on.

"_I know_, I know, I just wanted to try it out."

"**W-Wait a minute!**" May's jaw locked in place from the completely unbelievable turn of stories. "_**You fought AGAINST a pokémon? Blind?**_"

"A-"

"_**WHAT? **__I mean -__** WHAT?**_"

"…A two-on-two battle, to be exact. Him and Pikachu against Espeon and Metagross." Anabel informed.

"_Wh-Wh-Wh–_" her face obscured by her hair as she stared at the ground, May's shoulders began to shake.

…

"_May_?" Ash poked.

She swung her hair up as she laughed uncontrollably. Angie took several steps back, frightened by the young woman's reaction.

"_M-May are you okay?_" Ash felt May's emotions bursting into_ several colors_ and _notes_. In almost every way, he knew she was _okay_ – as her emotions were _nothing but positive_… though what _kind_ of _'okay',_ is what Ash worried about.

With a cover of the mouth, May struggled to calm herself down.

She wiped a few laughed tears away before responding, "It's just…_ wow_, Ash. I thought you'd be in your room all day, depressed. I guess I just figured you'd be helpless and really needed support."

"Well, he kind of was in the beginning." Angie pointed out.

"Hey! I wasn't helpless!"

"But _wow_. You're still Ash. Not only did you continue trying to train with pokémon, but you _**fought one**_! And you're blind**! BLIND, ASH!** I mean, _**WHAT?**_" May jumped and wrapped her arms around Ash, much to everyone's alarm. "And not only that, but you even – _whoah!_"

The excited girl was roughly pulled off Ash, by a rather annoyed Angie.

"_Sorry_, I just got really happy." She tried to hide her blush as if Ash could see it. "_But anyways_! You even learned Empathy. _Empathy_! _Wow Ash, you're like a Psychic now!_"

"**It's not psychic!** It's Empathy!" Anabel shouted, getting quite annoyed of that comparison.

"_It's close enough."_ grumbled Angie.

"_Oh! __**Oh!**_ Try it on me! _What am I feeling right now_?" May shook excitedly.

"_Um…_ happy." Ash could barely tell anything beyond that with how erratic her emotions had gotten.

"I guess that was pretty obvious, huh?" She scratched the back of her head, a nervous behavior she learned from Ash. "Well… how _abooout_…_** now**_?"

…

"You're on!" Ash shouted excitedly, getting into a stance.

"_**Are you serious?**_ _**Another**_ battle?" Angie groaned. "How many battles are we going to have today?"

"Ash, be careful, you're still strained from the last fight…" Anabel placed her hand gently on Ash's shoulder.

"Quit flirting with your girlfriends and show me what you've got, Ash!" May pulled out a poké ball and tossed it into the air. "_**GO VENUSAUR!**_"

**CRASH. CRASH.** Venusaur's great size pressed its feet deep into the ground.

"_**VEENUSS!"**_ it roared.

Ash took a step back. "_Uh… oh… this is definitely going to be rough…_ _**but let's do it!**_"

…

"_Ash…?_" Anabel had sensed something…

…

"_**ASH!**_" Anabel figured it out…

Ash finished checking his laces and removed his vest.

"_**ASH WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU THINKING? PULL OUT A POKÉ BALL!" **_Anabel had shouted loudly.

"**Here I go!"** Ash leapt towards the Venusaur.

"_This is all so stupid._" Angie slapped her palm onto her face.

* * *

><p>"<em>Haha,<em> **YEAH!** _**I can't believe that worked!**_" Ash cheered into the air.

"Well took you long enough! It's almost dinnertime!" Angie threw a towel in his direction. "Now clean yourself off, showoff."

"_**What in the world is your problem? Are you crazy? Could you imagine what would have happened if that Solar Beam actually hit him?**_" Anabel was furious, yelling her lungs out into May's ear.

May wasn't paying attention. Her face was still in shock. No emotion other than _disbelief_ running through her heart and mind.

"Awesome, I'm starving!" Ash patted his stomach and ran off. "Race ya' there!"

Angie started running. "You're on, blindy!"

"Just a second! I'll be right there!" Anabel called out as she frantically tried to pick up all the items they had left behind.

…

May still stood there in shock.

* * *

><p>"Do you like May, Ash?"<p>

"_Wh-Why do you keep asking that?_ Can't we talk about something else?"

_Do you like May, Ash?_

"That's the same as asking!"

"Well, why don't you ever answer?"

"She's just a friend."

_Am I just a friend?_

"That's a trap question. You know it."

"Why don't you want to answer?"

"Anabel, that's not fair." Ash adjusted in his seat uncomfortably as he flipped through the television channels, trying to find a channel that was interesting to listen to. Anything to get him away from this topic. "I mean… we haven't even gone on a date." He added respectfully, showing he wouldn't lock her out completely.

_Well… why… don't we?_

_I… uh…_

_Too fast?_

_Y-Yeah…_

_When can we try?_

_I, I don't know! I mean, we haven't even gotten to travel together. I mean, I know you're always here, but…_

Anabel giggled. "It's okay if you're not used to this. I haven't been on a date yet either. It'll be new to the both of us."

Her voice was lighter, her expression gave out a soft touch, and her feelings wandered to _curious ideas_.

"_**H-hey now**_, don't get started! We haven't been on a date yet!"

"It's healthy to be a bit curious. I should be scolding you on prying on my feelings."

"_Hey_, I can't help it yet, remember?"

The _shy and smooth_ air that surrounded them was abruptly split in half by a _strong and friendly energy_.

Ash sighed in relief, he was never comfortable being in that previous atmosphere. "Hey Angie! What's up?"

"Why are you watching TV, blindy?"

"I'm listening to the TV, tomboy."

"**Got a problem with me being a tomboy?**" her voice suddenly turned aggressive.

"N-No, it's not that." Ash defended himself, "It just rubbed off on me. Anabel always calls you that."

"She never says it to my face, apparently."

"Don't need to state the obvious." Anabel remarked with little interest.

"**Got a problem with dependable girls, princess?**" Angie growled.

"Dependable girls? Not at all…" She smirked. "Just have a problem with gorillas."

"_**GORILLAS?**_"

_Uh oh._ Ash thought. He scanned his surroundings with his ears, trying to see if he could find any distraction at all. _No mother, no Mr. Mime, no Pikachu, no one to stop the two_ from finally getting to each other's throats.

_How did I get into this situation?_ He thought to himself in despair._ I remember when all I had to worry about was earning badges and having food the next day… I think I'd definitely rather be starving than this._ Ash desperately yearned to leave. He knew it was only a matter of time befor–

"_**THAT'S IT!**_ _**Alright cross-dresser, let's take it outside!**_" Angie was fuming.

"_**C-Cross-dresser?**_" Anabel stood, "**This outfit is far more tasteful than anything you've got in that shoddy clothes basket!**" Anabel's attitude changed completely, a side Ash had never seen before. _Menacing, towering, venomous_, and _utterly frightening_.

"I said let's take it outside! Unless you're scared!"

"_Scared_? Your pokémon would hardly cause any problems for me." Anabel's previous emotions formed into _something more controlled_ – _arrogance_.

"No! **No pokémon!** Just you and me, let's go!"

"_A barbarian to the end._" She waved her off. "I'm not going to waste my time fighting in such an uncivilized manner with you."

"You hear that, Ash? _She thinks you're uncivilized_."

"_**What?**_ I never said that!"

"_Oh_, but Ash here can enjoy a good fight. No pokémon necessary. He even fought your pokémon that way if you don't remember."

"Yes, but Ash –"

"_Come on Ash_, let's leave the princess with her tea. Us peasants must be ruining her high society atmosphere."

Ash felt Anabel's emotions _ready to explode_. He wanted to calm her down, but suddenly felt Angie's emotions _watching him like a hawk_ – ready to strike if he tried to choose Anabel's side. He wasn't sure what to do.

_Too late anyways._ He sighed.

"FINE!** FINE! **You want to fight? **We'll fight!**"

"Just what I wanted to hear! _**Outside! Let's go!**_"

"_Um…_" Ash stuttered.

"_**STAY OUT OF THIS!"**_ the two girls shouted in unison.

* * *

><p>What should have been a simple catfight, exploded into a full-blown street fight, which turned into a pokémon battle, which eventually led into a massive war throughout the entire town.<p>

The small town of Pallet was now a broken mess. Holes in walls, smoke and steam coming from unknown areas, and a wounded Trainer was crawling pathetically back into their house.

**Ch-chnk.** The handcuffs wrapped uncomfortably against Angie's struggling wrists.

"You have a right to remain silent, anything you sa-" the Officer Jenny was reciting with an exhausted breath. Her hair was in a mess, her makeup ruined, and one of her high heels had broken, all because of the ordeal. Needless to say, she was quite tired of all the trouble these two girls had given her.

"I didn't do nothing! She started it!" Angie was growling as her head was pressed against the car.

Off to the side, Anabel was still laughing hysterically, the insane collection of events finally dropping from its peak and making her realize the position she was finally in.

"Oh shut up, princess!"

Anabel's laugh stopped quickly, her eyes darted towards Angie. "You shut it! I would've won if you didn't get the cops involved!"

"_Would've wo-_ _**WOULD'VE WON? YOU CHEATED! YOU CHEATED YOU CHEATED YOU CHEATED!**_"

"_**CHEATED?**_"

"_**YEAH! CHEATED!**_"

"_**YOU'RE THE ONE THAT THREW A BRICK AT MY ESPEON DURING THE POKÉMON BATTLE!**_"

"_**WE WEREN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO HAVE A POKÉMON BATTLE! YOU WERE BEING A SORE LOSER!"**_

"_**I SWEAR I'LL**_ – _Ow!_" Anabel was picked up by the hair and led to the backseat.

"That's enough you two. You're going to be spending the night in the prison. Separate cells, of course." Officer Jenny growled.

Before the door shut on her, Anabel stuck her head out and shouted to the boy across the street, "Wait for me, Ash! I'll be out soon!"

Angie kicked the door out of anger. "**He ain't yours, princess!**"

Anabel stuck her tongue out in response.

"**That's it! I'll kill y**– _ow!_" It was Angie's turn to be pulled by the hair, being led to a different car.

"Get in there, hothead." The female officer tossed the young tomboy into the car and slammed the door before she could say anything.

Angie pressed her head against the window, making puppy eyes at Ash… though he wouldn't be able to tell.

…

Ash listened to the police cars drive off.

He let out an exhausted sigh.

_Finally… a break._

* * *

><p>"Another week? What did the two of you do?"<p>

"_Well, mostly it has to do with all the incoming complaints from businesses."_ Anabel's voice came through the phone in an odd fuzz, making it hard for Ash to catch any emotional tones in her voice. _"The bail would have let us out for good until the trial, but I guess they're keeping us in here until they've gotten everything settled. Could be worse though, we're still expected to only to be let off with community service after the trial. No major damage to any of the properties… well, seriously damaged… no one really got hurt… er… except for that one guy, but I don't think he's pressing charges… and really nothing serious to keep us in here for. …I hope."_

…

"_Hey Ash?"_

"Yeah?"

"_Really sorry about all this... We did get a bit carried away. And…" _she took a deep breath, _"…if you don't want to date me, that's completely understandable."_

"Anny–"

Anabel's heart skipped a beat. _Did he just give me a pet name? Oh Ash…_

Though for Ash, he didn't realize he called her by that name – even if it did work well in keeping her from becoming depressed, which was his intention for what he had to say next.

"–_it's… it's_ not that I don't want to _d-date you…_ It's just all too fast for me. I mean, we barely had enough time to get to know each other before all this crazy stuff started happening."

"_So… do I still have a chance?"_

"For a date? _I- I guess_ maybe later. But not right now."

"_Not anytime soon either."_ An unexpected voice chimed out of the phone.

"**A-Angie?**" Ash almost dropped his phone in response.

"_What in the world? Angie how are you on this line?"_ Anabel's voice panicked.

"_I had an uncle that taught me a thing or two about phone lines."_

"_Angie! Get off the line! We're both going to get into deep trouble if they find out!"_

"_Whatever. Just stop forcing yourself on Ash. If he wants to date you, he'll ask you."_ Angie's voice was monotone, uncaring, giving no hints as to what she was implying. _"Seriously, give the guy a break. He just got over being a blindy."_

**Click.** Angie was off the line.

…

"_Angie's right."_ Anabel sighed. _"Really sorry I've been so forceful."_

"Anabe–"

"_I'll… earn you myself in my own time, Ash. I won't have to force you or beg you. For now, let's just go back to being good friends, okay?"_

"Anabel…"

"_Nothing wrong with being friends, is there?"_

"Not at all!"

"_Then we're friends then."_ A _sigh_. _"I'll be looking forward to hang out with you after all this, Ash."_

…

"Alright, that actually sounds pretty fun." Ash said quietly. Slightly _relieved_. Slightly _disappointed_. About _what_, he wasn't sure himself. Though he'd admit, _this was a nice change_… "I'm looking forward to it too."

"_I'll see you around, Ash. Bring me a book sometime. There isn't much to do here."_

The request somewhat caught Ash off-guard. He honestly wasn't sure what to offer, considering his current condition. "_W-_What kind of book?"

"_A novel if you've got any."_

His mental search for a suggestion was answered. "**OH!** I've got a good one. It's called _Commander of Wartortles_."

Anabel had heard of that series. Sadly, she had heard it was a boy's book. Mostly bravado, guts, and glory. She_ sighed_ from disappointment and amusement.

"_Er… really? Is that the only book you have?"_

"Well, I don't really read much books. And besides, it's a really good book."

"_Yeah, Anny. It really is a good book."_ A familiar voice returned.

"_Angie! I thought you got off the line!"_ Anabel growled.

"_Shush now. Hey Ash, send me Blastoid Radius. I haven't read that one yet."_

"_Uh_, sure thing."

"_Get off the phone, Angie!"_

"_Fine fine. Just seriously, send the book, Ash. And really consider reading Commander of Wartortles, Anabel. It's a lot better than you think."_

**Click.** Supposedly Angie was off the line now.

"_Well, I guess I'll be taking that book then."_

"Great. I'll send you my hardcover copy then."

"_Alright then. I'm looking forward to your visit. See you, Ash."_

"See you, Anabel."

"_Oh, and Ash?"_

"Yeah?"

"_It was nice talking to you like this… as a friend, that is."_

"Yeah… it was nice."

**Click.** _"Same here."_

"_Angie! Get off the phone!"_

"_We'll see you around, Ash! Bring me a snack!"_

"See you two later then? Bye."

"_Bye, Ash."_

"_Remember: Snack!"_

"_Angie!"_

**Click.**

* * *

><p>"…and these are for a girl named Angie." Ash handed the other bag over.<p>

"Arcanine, check the snack." Officer Jenny tossed the bag towards her large pokémon as she opened, flipped through, squeezed the corners of, and weighed the book in her hands.

"You really think they'll enjoy these books?" she asked without lifting her eyes towards the blind boy.

"Well, I enjoyed them."

She eyed him _suspiciously_.

"When I wasn't blind, that is." he finished his remark.

She grunted in acknowledgment. Grabbing the bag from her Arcanine, the officer went through the cage to hand over the items.

Angie waved her hands wildly in Ash's direction.

He couldn't see it, but he could definitely feel her _excited greeting_. He waved back happily.

Angie quickly devoured her snack and ran back to her cell with the book.

Anabel stared at Ash for a few more moments before _nodding_ and heading back to her cell with her new book.

Ash turned and headed out the door. His hand brushing against the Arcanine's head, feeling the pokémon's _yearning for attention_.

"_**Bow!**_" its bark much louder than Ash had expected.

"_Please don't touch the Arcanine. He's on duty."_ Officer Jenny's voice echoed against the thick walls.

…

Outside the station, Ash released a heavy sigh, glad that his morning's only responsibility was finished. Now he had a free day for himself.

He smiled at the idea. _An entire day. Maybe even a week if mom doesn't ask anything from me._ An entire week to do _what_, he wasn't sure. He didn't think he'd be so relieved to get away from friends. He didn't think he'd even be _running_ _from_ women. He didn't even think any girl could be _attracted to_ him. _Well, except for maybe…_ Ash shook his head. _stomp stomp stomp… No reason to continue that thought_, he blocked it out. _That's more of Gary's area of 'expertise'…_

_No need to worry, just… enjoy the day… _He stretched with a loud yawn, grinning widely after.

"What are you so happy about?" came a voice to his left.

"**May?**" Ash's mind snapped back to reality, "I thought you went back to Hoenn."

"What gave you that idea?"

"_Well…_ we didn't see you after that battle for a few days. And you were competing as a Coordinator in that region this season, _weren't you_?"

"_One_, yes I am still competing there, but it's not like I can't take a vacation. _Two_, I just went out shopping in the nearby cities."

"_Oh, well, _it was nice seeing you again!"

"Wait!"

…

"…yes?" Ash had a bad feeling about this.

"Can we hang out? Like old times? No Anabels or Angies, _if that's okay with you_."

"They're in prison right now…" Ash gestured towards the door behind him. "_So…_"

"**Wh-What?**" May's jaw dropped. She shook her head, laughing quietly to herself. "_No_ no, you don't have to tell me now. Knowing you, it's a long and ridiculous story. You can tell me along the way."

_Along the way? I never said 'yes' to her offer. _Ash sighed. _Oh well, there goes my free day._

As they walked down the dirt path, Ash could feel May inching closer towards him.

A strange feeling crawled around his chest area. _Stomp._ _This was strange… _Normally, he never really felt this way around May… _Stomp._ They weren't normally alone like this. And when they were, it was always about the goal in front of them, not just… _'hanging out'_… _Stomp._ Or maybe, he considered, they have hung out like this before. That perhaps all the talks about dating were just making him think these things… He wondered if he had ever thought of May in _that way_. _Stomp stomp stomp!_

Her hands slightly wrapped around his elbow, attempting to help guide him.

"Really, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I know these roads like the back of my hand. I could walk them blindfolded when I was a kid. _Which…_ I did do that as a dare. And it really helped… _now that I think about it. Wasn't that fun then, though._"

May **giggled** in response as she moved a small step away.

…

"_I mean…_ I don't think I would be okay if I hadn't done that._ …that dare… _Then maybe I would've needed your help…"

May responded with a smaller giggle. She stared off into a different direction. _Avoiding._

…

Ash cleared his throat. _Hoping to rid of the tension_.

…

"So what's it like?"

"What's what like?" Ash asked in relief, glad a new subject came up.

"The Empathy ability?"

Her question and feelings towards it were vague to say the least. Ash would have no idea where to start. Afterall_, did he even really understand Empathy? Did he even know what it meant?_ In almost every subject of the matter, Ash _had no idea how to respond_.

…_maybe if she asks an easier question I can make something up…_

"An easier question?"

"_Like…_ do you feel how others feel? Or do you see it as a thought?"

"_It's…_" Ash found it surprising that he could describe this… somewhat… _Somewhat is better than nothing._ "…like a little bit of both. As if the feelings are as clear as thoughts. Or… _er…_ like you can see the feelings as obvious as a fact. As if you always could. _Naturally._ Nothing blocking between you and the other person's heart…_ er… _I guess."

"_That sounds…_" May's voice softened to an unfamiliar level. "_…very beautiful._"

…

She cleared her throat, suddenly _uncomfortable with herself_.

Ash laughed nervously. "_Er… _Hearing a pokémon constantly beg for a treat at all hours of a day is beautiful?"

May laughed awkwardly with him. "_Yeah… _I guess not."

…

Ash could hear May run ahead of him, understanding the strange sounds as her_walking backwards_ in front of him.

"What am I feeling now?" the Coordinator asked playfully.

"Excited. Curious. Nostalgic." He responded surprisingly fast, surprising even himself. Something about the uncomfortable moment had made it easier for him to read her emotions.

"Wow! Even I didn't know I was getting nostalgic until you mentioned it."

"So how's Drew?"

May slowed down a bit.

"…you dated him, right?"

"_H-How did you know that?_"

"Your memories got a little too loud to ignore, you know." Ash scratched the back of his head. He wasn't sure if he was heading into dangerous waters with the topic. Then again, he was never really sure what was dangerous in these subjects until it was too late.

May blushed, facing away.

"_Yeah… I dated him._ I thought it would lead somewhere. _But…_"

"But?"

"Nevermind that."

May's emotions suddenly _blocked out_ Ash's curious ability.

As much as it was shocking, it was relieving. Ash hadn't ever figured out how to block out listening to loud emotions, it was nice that she knew how to block him out instead.

"So why are Angie and Anabel in prison?"

"Oh that. Long story."

"We've got time."

"_Er… well…_" He shrugged, seeing no real harm in telling her. "It started when…"

* * *

><p>"<strong>And at that point, Alakazam started panicking!<strong>" Ash breathed out, having a hard time talking between laughs. "**He couldn't find his spoons anywhere! And- and- and the owner of the restaurant kept trying to chase him out, but he just wouldn't leave! Every time he got pushed out, he just teleported back in!**"

May could barely keep herself together. She'd admit that this specific story was hardly as funny as the previous ones told about that day, but at this point: _everything_ was funny.

"_Oh, Ash! Is Angie and Anabel out of prison already?"_ Delia called out curiously as she heard the laughter of a young girl coming from the entrance of the house.

May laughed even harder, **slamming** her fist against the wall several times as she fell to the ground.

Ash followed her soon after, finding her laughter irresistibly contagious.

"_Well, you two girls behave. Nurse Joy came here complaining about how you were throwing injured pokémon at each other."_ Ms. Ketchum warned.

May dragged herself desperately towards the restroom, laughing hysterically. "_**I'm gonna' pee myself if I don't –**_" her laughter broke her words as she luckily managed to get herself into the restroom, **slamming** the door shut.

Ash crawled onto the couch, laughing harder than he's laughed in a long time.

Calming his laughs, he exhaled loudly… resting his body and snickers.

…

He felt good.

He felt right.

No more worrying about girls tearing at each other's throats. No more worrying about trying something new for the day. No more trying to please two very different kinds of women. And no more worrying about the consequences for not paying enough attention to just one of them. _Thankfully._

With May, he could just be… just Ash. The Ash everyone knew. And not the Ash others wanted him to be. Not the Ash that had to keep changing opinions just to keep things normal around the house…

He already knew how to talk to and act around May. She was his friend, a very close friend. They've been together through thick and thin. And even if they didn't agree on everything, they had an understanding that had grown from time and experience with one another. He could count on her as a friend, and for her to be her.

That's all Ash wanted from Anabel and Angie, he considered. He just wanted to get to know them first. He just wanted to be friends first before all these confusing emotions started getting in the way. This was easier. He could… _see himself with May?_ _**Stomp.**_ _No reason to ruin that relationship. No reason to run into that. This was fine. This was perfect. Everything else above this was just too complicated… It would make me think too much, wonder too much. This… isn't hard at all. _

He sighed in complete relief. A few small chuckles still escaping his lips every time a memory from that day popped up… _this was fine._ Anabel and Angie may not have been easy to handle or put up with when they got into a fight, but they certainly were entertaining to watch.

The restroom door **closed**. And May's _bright and sunny_ personality flowed back into the room.

She was still holding back laughter, trying to calm down as she wiped tears from her eyes.

Ash felt the couch shift as she sat next to him.

He felt her head press against his shoulder as she nuzzled up against him. It was a gesture that would have made him extremely uncomfortable… if it weren't for the fact that her emotions were showing that this was a completely _just-friendly_ action.

_I like you Ash…_

"I like you, too."

She sighed and relaxed her shoulders.

_You really can feel what I feel, can't you?_

"Yeah…"

_That's… nice…_

Her emotions started to sink, as her entire being felt like it was shutting off. Within just a few seconds, May had fallen completely asleep.

A _smile left on her face and on her heart._


	4. Chapter 4 Change

'_Our home is in our hearts. And we shall never give them up.'_

Anabel closed the book.

A heavy feeling was in her heart. _Strong, silent, yet compassionate_.

_Commander of Wartortles_. A book Anabel had scoffed at when she looked at the overdramatic cover that desperately tried to depict a raging battle. A book she had made fun of at each turn of the page. And a book she found herself completely entranced by the time she reached the third chapter.

For the following three days since she had received the book, she had read it non-stop. Only stopping when she needed to shower.

She felt slightly ashamed when she had found herself wrong about the book. Originally she had been taught by her upbringing that these genres of books were far too barbaric and immature. Yet the hours she had spent reading it showed her not only subjects of bravery, but also camaraderie, inner-strength, passion, romance, and trust. Subjects that she didn't expect to find… Subjects she hadn't expected to be so deeply discussed for the audiences this genre attracted.

_Was she wrong about thinking of Ash as a naïve boy? If this was a favorite book of his, he must understand what love is… Had she been going about it all wrong? Had Ash simply wanted a partner he could put all his trust on?_

_Maybe Angie was right. Maybe I am a bit too much of a… princess. Maybe if I just show Ash how dependable I am…_

_Dependable…_ A memory flashed before her eyes.

'_Got a problem with dependable girls, princess?' _she remembered Angie spitting at her…

_Does Ash like tomboys?_

_Maybe not so much tomboys, but someone who could do the same he can…_

_I guess I can give it a shot._

Her memory sparked again, and her attention was suddenly moved to the cell beside hers.

"Hey, _um… _Angie?"

"_Whut."_ The green-haired girl was chewing on something. Since the two had been locked up in here, Anabel had noticed that Angie always needed to chew on something while she was in her cell. _A nervous habit?_

"Are you done with that book?"

Angie sat up, staring up at Anabel with a knowing smirk. "I _told_ you that you'd like the book."

"The book you have is the sequel, right?"

"Yup. And it's just as awesome as the first." She tapped on the book's cover, waving it around as a prize.

"Can I borrow it?"

"If you answer me something…"

"Sure."

"Favorite crew member in the Shell?"

"Davian, of course!"

Angie spit a strange substance out of her mouth and made a gagging sound. "_**Ewwwww!**_ **You like the pansy?**"

"Why not? He's kind. Compassionate. He takes care of the rest of the crew and even sacrificed his life to save the Wartortles!"

"_I guess_, but he's way too whiny for me."

"It's not whining. He's just sensitive. You wouldn't understand."

"_Whatever."_ Angie threw the book through the cell onto Anabel's bed.

"Let me guess, your favorite's Russ." Anabel scoffed.

"_**Ew no!**_" Angie stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"_What?_ I thought you like tough guys."

"If I liked tough guys like that, you'd think I'd be going for Ash? He's scrawny!"

"He's not too bad… _I mean, if you…_" Anabel trailed off.

Angie on the other hand, seemed very curious for her to continue.

Anabel shook her head and went back to the topic, "Well, who do you like?"

"_The Commander…"_ Angie's eyes softened into a dream-like state.

"Hey! **That's not fair!** You said a _crew member_ of the Shell!"

"He **IS** a crew member!"

"No he isn't! He's the Commander!"

Angie thought for a minute.

Quoting from her mind, she replied, _"The Shell has no captain, no commander, no leader, no champion, and no master… we are all its crew, and we are all family in here."_

"That was a metaphor for their relationship! I thought you were asking for a literal crew member!"

"_What is metaphor if we all intend what we speak?"_

Anabel wanted to fight back, but she was far too impressed by her memory. "How many times did you read this book?"

"Probably ten times. I grew up on that book."

_I wonder if Ash also grew up on this book…_ Anabel pondered curiously. "Well, if you get to pick the Commander. I choose the Commander too."

"He's literally the only choice you can go for once you get to know him."

"_Yeah…"_ Anabel sighed. _He kind of reminds me of Ash…_

Her thoughts went back into reality. "Anyways, thanks for the book. I owe you."

"Yeah no prob. _Water in_."

"_Water out_." Anabel giggled at herself for responding with the 'Inner Shell' greeting.

She walked over to her bed and laid down, holding the new book above her head.

_Angie's not a bad girl._ Anabel thought to herself. _Just a little confused with her reality and books._

She held the book tightly to her chest.

_Because in this reality, the Commander's mine._

With an eager giggle, she opened the book and dove into the story.

* * *

><p><strong>Siiiip.<strong>

"_Mmmm…_" May grinned with satisfaction.

"_Mm-hmm!_" Ash responded happily.

"So what flavor is that one?" the Coordinator asked as she took another suck from her straw.

"Chocolate with Cake Batter!"

"That sounds weird."

"You should try it! It tastes like a chocolate cake in a drink."

"Alright, but you _HAVE_ to try mine then."

"What flavor is that one?"

"Mint with white chocolate chunks."

"That sounds like it's too light!" He stuck his tongue out, showing his distaste for the flavor combination.

"And yours sounds like it'd taste too dark." May giggled.

"Then we'll trade."

May grabbed both shakes and rotated them across the table.

Both grabbed and sipped from the straws.

"_Mmm!_" both replied at the same time.

_It really compliments the one I just had._ May thought as she took another sip.

"I agree!" Ash smiled.

A purple-haired woman popped up from behind the counter, staring at them with dreamy eyes. "_You two are so cute together. _You're very lucky. I wish I could get a boyfriend like that."

The two pokémon enthusiasts blushed heavily.

"Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. _Enjoy your shakes~!_" And with a wink, the woman dove back behind the counter, playing around with the signal of her radio.

…

After what seemed like an hour, May rotated the drinks back to their former owners and began sipping nervously from her straw.

Ash was trying to figure out what to say, unsure how to respond. He looked towards May's emotions to find an answer.

_He's more of my mentor if anything. Not saying he's a bad choice…_

Ash blushed, even more at a loss for words than he had been before he checked.

_Thankfully_, May broke the ice.

"So where is Pikachu? I never see him around you these days."

"_Oh! _Pikachu." He laughed nervously, glad for the topic change. "_N-_No, he's still around. He's just hanging around with Anabel's Espeon these days."

_Anabel…_ May wasn't sure why, but the mention of her suddenly made her feel bitter.

_Oh no._ Ash felt May's reaction to the name. _Why her? … But… then again… I don't think I would really mind if she felt that way towards me, would I? … I… STOMP STOMP STOMP!_

He shook off the idea completely, trying to continue the conversation, "_H-_He's just using this vacation to get a break from me. Glad he doesn't have to battle everywhere he goes, you know?"

"Yeah, especially now that Team Rocket doesn't magically appear everywhere you go nowadays."

"**I know!** It's nice to get a break from those goons too!"

"Oh, **have you heard?**" May's voice suddenly turned urgent.

"Heard what?"

"**They actually got away with a heist recently!**"

Ash stood up and gripped the sides of the table. "**WHAT?**"

"_Yeah!_" May continued, completely understanding his response. _Almost too understanding – as if she was preparing for this._ "They stole a lucario from a trainer and escaped from the police! It was all over the news!"

Ash's grip tightened. A fury building up inside.

…

"_Let's stop them."_ May whispered.

"**Huh?"**

"I said let's stop them."

This response was completely unexpected from the Coordinator. _But for some reason, it felt right. She had felt different these days, and this felt like the response she should have given as the new May._ Ash wasn't sure why, it didn't make too much sense, but his Empathy told him he shouldn't be surprised.

"Well, okay, _but…_"

"_Why_?" May smiled as she stood. Her hand slapped Ash's arm and she responded with a tone of hopeful nostalgia, "_I miss the old days…_ Those adventures we had and all the pokémon we helped. The people, the events, _everything_. _I miss it all!_"

She swung her arms wide to express the size of their experiences together. "We didn't just get badges and ribbons, we saved and affected people's lives!" Her arms swung in and held to her chest. "And face it, if we're not there to stop Team Rocket, _who will_?"

"The… authorities?"

**BAP.**

Ash held the side of his head. "_Ow_…"

"That's not the Ash I know. Quit hiding under that rock and tell me _'If we're not there to stop Team Rocket, __**who will**__?'_"

"_No one_?"

**BAP.**

"Can't hear you!"

"Now you're acting like Misty."

**BAP.**

"And **YOU'RE** acting like Brock after getting dumped!"

**BAP.**

"**Alright!** Alright! **No one!**"

"No one _what_!"

"**If we're not there to stop Team Rocket, no one will!**"

May **squealed** as she wrapped her arms around Ash. "_**THAT'S**_ the Ash I know! Let's go get 'em!"

"_**Yeah! Let's get 'em!**_" Ash responded and returned May's hug.

…

"_You two are just so adorable together._" admired the woman from behind the counter.

The two blushed.

* * *

><p>The boy and girl stood outside, feeling the breeze hit their face as the warm sun hung in the sky. Bird and Bug Pokémon of all kinds chirped, hissed, and called their names into quiet air. Quiet traffic of joggers and cyclists passed, each passerby with their own schedules and ideas floating in their emotions. Time slowly passed, as the moment seemed to last forever.<p>

It was a beautiful day.

"_So…_"

Ash adjusted his hair underneath his baseball cap and kicked at the ground beneath him.

_So what?_ May thought in response.

"So how are we going to get there? We don't exactly have a blimp like they do."

"I've got it covered."

A **growl** in the distance. **Growing in sound**.

_A… car?_

The growl suddenly turned into a **soft purr** as the car slowed to a stop in front of them.

"Hey guys. Need a ride?" came a familiar voice.

"Tracey?"

"**Got it on the first guess!** I'm impressed, Ash. You're getting better with your ears." the Pokémon sketch-artist complimented as he exited the car.

"What are you doing here, Tracey? I thought you went to the conference with Professor Oak."

"_I wish_." **Sigh.** "I was stuck with monitor duty."

"Well that explains why you're still in Pallet town…" Ash tilted his head. "But what are you doing out here if you're supposed to be watching the lab?"

"Oh, the lab? Gary's watching it now. He'll keep it covered until I get back."

"Okay, _but…_ what are you doing out here?"

"**Oh!** Right** right**. Well, May called me earlier and told me what you guys were planning to do. _**And I'm all for it!**_"

"I didn't think you were the type to stick your head into trouble."

"Actually, I'm just coming along because I heard Team Rocket stole a lucario. I'd love to get some new sketches of one in a battle." Tracey opened the backdoors of his car. "It will be nice to finally have some studies of one in an uncontrolled environment… kinda' like the old days."

"Same old Tracey…" Ash laughed as he felt for the entrance of the backseats.

"_Oh wait!_" Ash stopped halfway from sitting down. "How long will this take? Anabel and Angi–"

"Probably only two days, one there and one back." May answered quickly.

"So wait, **they're near here?**"

"Why do you think I even suggested it, Ash?" May calmly sat in the seat next to Ash, "You really think I was planning to take a month-long trip just to chase down Team Rocket?"

May buckled herself in. "I've got tournaments to compete in. No way I would have even mentioned it if they weren't close."

"_And here I thought you were all just itching to go on another trip with me._" Ash mentioned semi-sadly as he buckled himself in.

Closing the doors, Tracey walked around and entered the driver's seat. "Wait. _Ash?_ Did you remember to bring any pokémon?"

"Oh, that's right!" With a **clunk** of the handle, Ash opened the door and let out a loud **whistle**.

May covered her ears. "_**Ow!**_ Since when could you whistle like that, Ash?"

"Angie taught me." Ash mentioned dismissively as he half-stepped out of the car. **Whistle.**

"_Piiiikaaa!"_ his best friend's voice echoed down the road.

"C'mon Pikachu! We've got a pokémon to save!"

"Pika!" Pikachu leapt onto Ash's shoulder and patted his human friend's head to affirm that he was ready.

"Let's stop by Professor Oak's lab, I need to pick up a few more pokémon." Ash crashed back into his seat.

"Buckle up." Tracey reminded as he shifted gears.

"One question, guys." Ash buckled himself back in and adjusted his cap. "How do you know where they are?"

* * *

><p>"<em>What do you mean Ash is competing in a tournament?"<em>

"Well Anabel dear, May told me that Ash was competing in a tournament in Cerulean City. The Tsunami Festival, I think it was." Delia adjusted the phone against her ear. "I thought it was crazy too, but you know how my boy is."

**Click.** _"No way Ash would have signed up to a tournament this soon!"_

"Why hello Angie! I didn't know you were on the phone as well."

"_Angie! Get off the line!"_ Anabel hissed.

"_Shush it!"_ Angie growled back. _"Ms. Ketchum, are you sure Ash knows about this tournament?"_

"Well, I wouldn't see why not." Delia now seemed concerned with the suspicion given by the girls. "Why wouldn't he know of a tournament he's signed up to?"

"_I bet it was May's idea to put him in there. He wouldn't just leave us here while he goe–"_

"_Ms. Ketchum."_ Anabel sternly interrupted. _"Do you know any specific reason why May would sign Ash up to a tournament?"_

"I don't really know." She tapped her lip in thought. "Maybe just to get my boy back into Pokémon Battles?"

"_That or to get attention…"_ the tomboy trainer pouted through the static of the line.

_Attention…_ The female Empathic's eyes widened.

…

"_That's it!"_ Anabel broke the silence. _"They're trying to get attention through Ash!"_

"Well now, Anabel dear, I don't think May is the type to use people for attention." Delia lectured.

"_You never know…"_ Angie growled.

"_No, I don't mean that kind of attention." _Anabel countered. _"I think they're after Team Rocket!"_

"_Now that explanation is just plain stupid."_ Angie returned. _"How does that make sense?"_

"_Haven't you read the news?"_ the Empathic's voice lowered. "_Team Rocket has been successful with several heists as of late. I… I haven't told Ash. He must have found out somehow."_ _May…_ Anabel hissed in her mind. _"…I didn't want him to know because I knew he'd try to do something stupid like this."_

"_So why in the world would he go through all the trouble of competing in a tournament just to get their attention?"_ Angie seemed irritated at not knowing how any of this made sense. _"Why not just go after them?"_

"_Because no one knows where Team Rocket is now, Angie. Unless he was going to spend weeks wandering __**blindly**__," _Angie stressed her last word before moving on, _"throughout the regions, there's no way Ash could catch them, let alone find them."_

"_So… he's entering a tournament as a handicap contestant to get Team Rocket's attention?"_ Angie gave a low whistle. _"That's a smart move, especially for Ash."_

"_Ash didn't plan this…"_ _May…_ Anabel hissed again to herself. _"No offense Ms. Ketchum, but your boy isn't exactly the sharpest scyther in a day care."_

"_None taken, dear. He was never good with his homework."_

"_So…"_ Angie sighed. _"If Ash didn't come up with this, then who did?"_

* * *

><p>"You ready to beat 'em, Ash?" May giggled as she pushed the confused boy through the gate.<p>

"_**Wh-What do you mean I'm in this tournament?**_** I never agreed to this!**" Ash panicked, trying to stop himself from falling over.

"Too late." Tracey laughed as he handed the tickets to a nearby vendor. "We booked you yesterday for this tournament. And the news spread quite quick!"

The female vendor glanced at the tickets and stared in shock at the blind boy. "**Is this **_**THE**_** Ash Ketchum?**" She quickly tore the tickets for them and grinned widely. "Oh Mr. Ketchum! We're all cheering for you!"

Ash blushed and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "_Oh th-thank you_? Do I know you?"

"**Oh how I wish!** I'm Jill." The woman suddenly sounded younger as she giggled. "**We all know you, though!** The famous Ash Ketchum that travelled and competed in every tournament in almost every region! Kanto's _**number one**_ Trainer of choice! You've even got a fan club!" with every exclamation, she struck a different pose to accent her words.

"_**W-What? Fan club? Number one Trainer? **_**How come I don't know about any of this?**_**"**_

"_Because we knew it'd get to your already big head." May _mumbled as she continued to drag him towards the contestants seating area.

"And now you're competing in this tournament blind? Oh you just keep getting cooler and cooler, Mr. Ketchum!" the vendor squealed in delight.

"_Th-Thank you…_ **I won't disappoint you guys!**" Ash stood straight as he marched happily towards the seats, making May falter in her efforts of coaxing him.

"Well **NOW** he wants to compete. _Geez._ What a show-off." May huffed in irritation.

"Same old Ash." Tracey chuckled as he followed closely behind.

_Yeah… same old Ash…_

Ash stopped in his tracks and smiled in May's direction.

_Oops. I forgot he could still hear me._ May blushed in reaction. _H-Hi, Ash! Eheh…_

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>OUT OF THE WAY!"<strong>_ Misty had shoved an intimate couple apart, rushing past them. Her feet moving faster than ever with her rage filling up to a boiling point.

"_**What does he think he's doing competing in this tournament?"**_ she roared at the top of her lungs as she dashed down the long passageway. She was yelling at nothing, at herself, and at everything that decided to get in her way.

"_Please excuse our delay, it seems that our guest judge has stepped out for the moment._" the loudspeakers echoed through the hall.

"Oh give it a rest, Kate! _Just stall this tournament as long as you can._" Misty hissed in response.

"_But without further ado…_"

"No..." The Cerulean Gym leader's eyes widened.

"_Let's start the Tsunami Festival!_" Cheering voices followed this announcement.

"No! No! Darn it, Kate! **I said stall it!**" Her pace sped up considerably.

"_On the white corner, we have Connie! A resident of our beautiful city, and a Trainer for three years!_" Cheers and whistles followed.

Misty reached the end of the hall and slammed the double-doors wide open. Loud screams and cheers flooding her atmosphere.

"_And on the blue corner…"_

The cheers grew louder.

Misty grabbed onto the railing of the stairs and slid down it.

"_The Lightning Master! Kanto region's number one Trainer of Choice! The Legend from Pallet Town!"_

To Misty's right, a group of girls wearing Ash's old trademark black shirt, blue white-sleeved jacket, green fingerless gloves, and blue jeans combination stood and squeal-screamed his name.

To her left, a group of children wearing knock-off versions of his special League baseball cap waved around their arms in an attempt to get their idol's attention.

And on the far end of the stadium, she could see a large group of pikachu enthusiasts waving large banners with Pikachu's face expertly copied onto them.

"_The one! The only! __**Ash Ketchum!**_"

Despite the sudden increase of volume with the speakers, the announcement was almost completely drowned out as a near-deafening roar of applause and screams came from all around.

Misty jumped off the railing, ready to climb over a safety fence to get onto the field… when she was suddenly stopped by the sight of her dearest friend walking through the gate.

His eyes unfocused, yet still determined. His smile, innocent and confident. _He walks in here… like has nothing changed at all. He still has that same look… thinking he's ready for anything. That idiot…_

Even from this distance, she could see him waving around to the crowd, turning and looking as if he could see them.

"_Ash…"_ she whispered out to him.

As the cheers died down, the loudspeakers echoed once again. "_Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not sure if you know this yet… but if you haven't heard it yet, get ready for a real shocker._"

Misty snapped out of her trance and proceeded to leap over the safety fence.

"_But our favorite boy from Pallet had recently been in an accident!_"

A few pity-groans came from the crowd.

"_And just to make it worse, Ash Ketchum was left blind from the incident!_"

Concerned and confused murmurs roamed the stadium seats.

"_Yes, you heard it right. Blind. In spite of this, Ash Ketchum refuses to let this stop him from achieving his goals… as he is now the first blind Pokémon Trainer to enter any tournament in the world!_"

The crowd became uncomfortably quiet.

"_Sure, tell everyone."_ Misty growled under her breath as she started running through the competitor sections.

"_**YOU CAN DO IT ASH!"**_ several fangirls' cheers broke through the silence. A wave of encouraging cheers flowed sound back into the audience. Even Ash's opponent cheered from one side of the field.

Ash was scratching the back of his head as a flush of red covered his face.

"_That's what we like to hear folks! And with that, let's get this tournament started!_"

"_**WAIT!"**_ Misty broke into the field, dodging the security that tried poorly to stop her.

Ash turned her way.

"_I said wait…"_ Misty's voice turned tired as exhausted breaths escaped her lips.

"Misty, what are you –" Ash's question was silenced when her hand connected with his face.

**SLAP.**

The crowd gasped.

"_**What the heck do you think you're doing competing?"**_

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>What the heck do you think you're doing competing?"<strong>_ Misty yelled with a furious tone.

"I–"

"_**NO!**_ Don't make any excuses, Ash! _**You're not supposed to be here!**_"

"**Says who?**" Ash growled at her bitterly.

"Says me. **Guest Judge.** I have a right to kick you out of this tournament!" Misty folded her arms and leaned over him.

"_**Why? What did I do wrong?**_"

"_**Wh– We – I –**_" Misty stumbled for words. She gripped her hands into fists when she decided to stop thinking for words. "**You're blind, Ash! **_**BLIND!**_** If you compete here, you're just going to make a darn fool out of yourself! You really want your last tournament to be a pathetic excuse for a battle?**"

"_**You haven't even seen me in action!**_ Besides, I can handle myself." Ash wasn't going to back down. If this would be his final tournament, he certainly wasn't going to be bullied out of it.

"**I don't need to see –**"

Misty's lecture was cut short as an **EXPLOSION** erupted from the center of the field.

Smoke surrounded the stadium. Coughs from contestants and audiences alike followed one after the other.

"_Prepare for trouble. And we'll surely bring it to you."_ a woman's voice called out from the smoke.

"_And make it double. This time we'll really nab Pikachu."_ responded a familiar man's voice.

"To denounce the evil of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

The smoke cleared, revealing a familiar trio standing dramatically in front of a large crater in the center of the arena.

"Jessie." The female with shocking-red hair looked up confidently.

"James." The male with cool-blue hair sniffed a rose from his hand.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!" the talking cat pokémon chimed in as he appeared in the center of their pose.

"Wobbuffet!"

"Mime, mime, mime!"

As if on cue, the two spotlight-stealing pokémon appeared to finish the speech.

"**Team Rocket!"** Misty and Ash yelled in unison.

"_Halt!"_ An Officer Jenny ran onto the field, originally there to stop Misty, now more concerned with the intruding trio.

"Oh, we don't think so." Jessie smirked as she snapped her fingers.

On signal, a blue ball of energy shot out of the crater and floated softly to the ground.

The energy dissipated, revealing a blue and black pokémon… A strange mechanical device was attached to its head. It twitched and turned, showing an obvious internal struggle.

"Officer, meet our new lucario. Lucario, show her how we greet authorities."

A red _'R'_ emblem light faded in brightly on the center of the device. In an instant, the lucario's body flashed a blue aura.

"Get out of the way!" Ash yelled.

"_**Ahh!"**_ The female officer was lifted off the ground and thrown against a wall.

"Officer!"

Before he could run towards her, something was waving in front of Ash's face. He stopped in his tracks. He wasn't sure what it was until he focused his Empathy.

James was waving his hand in front Ash's eyes.

"_Hmmm._ I guess the twerp _really is_ blind."

Jessie walked passed Misty and faced Ash. "Well this will be easier than stealing candy from a baby."

"More like a pikachu from a twerp!" the cat pokémon responded.

"Hey! Don't you ignore me!" A poké ball appeared in Misty's hand, she was readying to battle.

"Lucario, handle her for me." Jessie snapped her fingers again.

"_Uh-whu… Whoah!_" Misty was lifted off the ground by the blue energy and thrown across the arena. _**"Ahhh!"**_

"_**Misty!"**_

"Don't worry about her, twerp." Jessie said from behind him, "Now where's your Pikachu?"

Ash growled. _"You think I'd tell you?"_

Pikachu's tired head popped out from the backpack, peaking to see what was making all that noise that had disturbed his sleep.

"Well that solves the mystery." James approached the waking pokémon, only to be electrified. _"Eeeee!"_

"Lucario! Grab Pikachu!"

The irritated lightning mouse was suddenly awake and aware as he found himself floating off the ground.

Meowth pulled a strange device out from a bag. "And now wit' dis, the twerp's pikachu will be all ours!"

"And we'll get a real promotion!" James excitedly cheered.

"Once the boss sees how much pokémon we've nabbed, he'll have no choice but to give us promotions." Jessie daydreamed happily.

"_YAAAA!"_ With one quick dive, Ash managed to snatch the device from Meowth's hands and rolled back into a stand.

"So you control pokémon with these now?" Ash threw the device to the ground and stomped on it several times.

"**HEY! THAT'S EXPENSIVE!"** roared Jessie.

"That cost me last week's lunch!" James cried out.

Meowth stood confused and surprised.

"_Uh…_ guys?" the cat pokémon tried to get the attention of the duo.

"**What?**" Jessie asked aggravated.

"How'd a blind twerp grab dat out of my hands?"

"Because you got careless and clumsy!" she answered angrily.

"No wait. Meowth's right." James now realizing what was implied. "How did –"

Jessie growled. "**It doesn't matter! Lucario! Take out the blind twerp!**"

The _'R'_ shined bright red, the lucario's body twitching to follow its commands.

"_GLACEON! ICE BEAM!"_

The slaved lucario turned just in time for only its arm to get frozen by a chilling beam of light.

"_Don't forget about me!"_ May jumped off the safety fence beside her glaceon.

"How many of the twerps are here?" James frantically looked around, fearing to find more familiar faces.

"So the twerpettes want to play?" Jessie smiled.

"**May! Watch out!"** Ash snatched Meowth by the tail and threw him towards May.

"_W-W-What da? __**AHHHHHHH!**_" Meowth panicked as he flew through the air.

Jessie continued her assault. "**Lucario! Dark Pulse!**"

Ash turned quickly and grabbed Pikachu before running behind James.

"_Hm?_" James cocked his head in curiosity to the boy trainer's strange actions.

Lucario twitched as a black burst of energy spread throughout the field.

"_Um… Jessie?_"

"**What is it James?**" She refused to face him. "**Can't you see I'm a bit busy here?**"

"_Well yes, but…_ shouldn't we be moving out of the way?"

"_Hm?_" Jessie's eyes widened in realization of the growing orb of blackness… expanding their way.

"_**L-Lucario! Don't hit us too!"**_ Jessie begged as she took two steps back.

The undirected Dark Pulse continued to expand.

Meowth crashed onto May's feet. The Coordinator looked at Meowth curiously.

"**MAY!"** Ash shouted above the groans of the growing blast. **"USE MEOWTH AS A SHIELD!"**

"_**Wh-What?**_Why you doity lil'_ – __**huh?**_" Meowth was picked up by the young coordinator as she ran in front of Glaceon.

"**Sorry about this!"** May lifted the meowth above her head. "Well, _not really_." She winked as she threw the cat pokémon towards the blast.

"**Shield?"** James panicked as he realized that he was Ash's.

"_**Lucario! Stop!"**_ Jessie pleaded desperately.

The Dark Pulse exploded, hitting everyone who was unlucky enough to be in its immediate vicinity.

_DARKNESS_. For a moment the world around Ash turned absolutely quiet. The dark energy absorbing all the sounds and emotions that used to soak up the atmosphere.

…

Like being vacuumed back to reality, noise and sensation returned with a sonic boom.

Audiences **gasping** and **mumbling**, some with premature **cheers**.

Security officers **debating** with each other when it was safe to interfere.

The loudspeaker **crackling** and revealing background **conversations** within the judge's booth.

Someone **fell** over. A strange man's voice **creaking** in pain. _James._

A female's voice barely **laughing** at the bad luck of it all. _Jessie._

A groaning **grumble** from a pokémon who's done this way too many times. _Meowth._

Two pokémon **playing** in the distance, with barely a care in the world. _Wobbuffet. Mime Jr._

A **sigh** of relief. _May._

A tiny hand tapped his cheek twice. _Pikachu._

_Right…_ Ash thought as he slowly stood up. "Ready Pikachu?"

"Pika!"

"Pikachu! Aim for the device on Lucario's head! Volt Tackle!"

"_Oh no you don't!"_ Jessie hissed as she pulled out a poké ball.

_Poison…_ Ash felt Jessie's intentions. He tried feeling for Pikachu's emotions. … _He's too focused! He won't be able to react fast enough!_

"Go Sceptile!" Ash threw out the poké ball in Jessie's direction as Jessie threw hers in Pikachu's direction. "Seviper! Go!"

The two pokémon faced their targets in front of them.

"Seviper! Poison Tail!"

"Sceptile! Stop Seviper! Quick Attack!"

Seviper blocked Pikachu's way, ready to strike – only to be knocked away by the charging sceptile.

"Pika!" Pikachu thanked Sceptile as he passed him. Electric sparks surrounding his body as he got closer towards the floating lucario.

_Lucario… Counter…_ Ash knew Jessie's next move.

"Lucario!" Jessie demanded. "Counter!"

"Sceptile! Quick Attack Lucario!"

"_**What?"**_ Jessie watched in shock as Lucario countered the fast-moving sceptile's attack, leaving him open for the next attack. _**"Lucario! Do Cou –"**_

Before the command was complete, Pikachu's overcharged tackle slammed into the device on the lucario's head. With a **pop **and **crackle**, the device shorted and exploded.

The damaged pieces hit the floor in a rain of expensive electronics, sparks of electricity accenting the view for any spectators. As time passed, smoke slowly faded away from the blast zone.

…

A _blue fury of emotions _exploded from within the last remaining smoke clouds.

_Looks like he's not under their control anymore._ Ash smiled.

The lucario shook his head before glaring at Jessie.

"_Uh oh."_ Jessie backed away. "Now now, Lucario."

The lucario's anger burst at the sound his name being used by the kidnapper. A bright fiery aura surrounding his body.

"_Um…_ look at the time! Looks like we have to get out of here." Jessie said nervously as she quickly snatched Meowth and tried dragging James to his feet.

"_Hrrrrryah!"_ With a cool, controlled fury, Lucario launched a ball of aura towards the trio.

"Wobbuffet! Seviper!" Jessie called.

"Mime Jr.!" James called.

The three pokémon stood in front of their trainers, ready to follow the next order.

"Sceptile! Stop 'em!" Ash called out, knowing Team Rocket's next move. Sceptile nodded immediately and charged towards the three.

"Wobbuffet! Counter. Seviper, Wrap!"

"Mime Jr., Mimic!"

Before the trio of pokémon could take advantage of their commands, Ash's voice rung out, "Quick Attack then Agility!" Sceptile smashed into all of them with a flurry of Quick Attacks and immediately dodged out of the way with Agility.

The disruption had caused Seviper to miss its target and Wrap around Wobbuffet, causing him to strike back at the Seviper with Counter, while Mime Jr. mimicked the Quick Attack right into Wobbuffet.

"_Looks like we're doomed."_ Jessie groaned with dread in her voice, as she witnessed the chaos unfold in front of the incoming Aura Sphere.

"_And we did so well this time."_ cried James.

"_I told ya' we shoulda' given dat lucario to da' boss first."_ Meowth sighed in defeat.

The Aura Sphere hit the ground in the center of the six villains. An explosion was the familiar signal of their defeat as they flew into the sky.

"_**Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off agaiiiiiiiin~!"**_

"_Wooobuuuffet~!"_

A shimmer in the clouds confirmed their disappearance.

"_Hmph._" Lucario smirked at his vengeance being fulfilled.

"**Way to go, Lucario!"** Ash called out.

The stadium boomed with thunderous cheers.

"_And there we have it, folks! The famous Ash Ketchum defeating the elusive Team Rocket trio right in front of our very eyes! Any doubts you had of his condition when it comes to battling, get rid of them now, because you've just been made a believer!"_

"You did pretty good, kid." Ash turned to the direction of Officer Jenny's voice.

"_Heh… it was nothing really._" He blushed as he scratched the back of his head.

"No need to be modest. You're famous here, especially after that show." She patted his shoulder in congratulations. "Oh, and don't worry about this lucario, we'll contact his owner immediately. He'll be more than happy to know his lucario is safe and sound."

"Thanks, Officer Jenny. I'm just glad that he'll be reunited with his trainer. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my pikachu to those goons."

"Pika pika." Pikachu slightly rubbed himself on Ash's leg as agreement to the comment.

"Good luck in the tournament, kid. I'll be rooting for you." Officer Jenny turned and faced the incoming security team in order to give out instructions of how to deal with Lucario.

…

"_I guess I should have been rooting for you too, huh?"_

It took Ash a few seconds to figure out whose voice that belonged to.

"Misty?"

Misty didn't feel _right_. Or rather, she didn't feel like _her usual self_. Ash could barely recognize the girl in front of him.

"_Here I thought I was doing you a favor by trying to stop you. But…"_

Her voice trailed off, _uncertain emotions_ coming to bear. She wished to say something, but _wasn't sure_ if that's what she truly felt.

_Misty's… confused?_ Ash thought to himself.

"Hey Misty! Long time no see!" May's _sunny _personality distracted Ash's thoughts.

_A wall of security_ shrouded Misty's sensitive emotions, making it impossible for Ash to read it anymore.


	5. Chapter 5 Renown

"_Will all other personnel not competing in the first round please leave the arena." _The loudspeakers echoed back into life before the two female friends could catch up.

"Oh right, silly us." Misty stuck out her tongue in reaction to her forgetfulness. "Come on May, we can watch the battle at the Judge's Booth."

"Alright! Good luck in your match, Ash!" May waved as she followed Misty to the exit.

"Thanks! Have fun!" Ash called back, completely unaware of the wave.

"**Wow!" **an unfamiliar voice exploded right next to Ash. "Can I just say, Mr. Ketchum, that I'm deeply honored that I'll be your first opponent? And I know that I'll be no match to you, but I'm so glad I'm losing to you! It'll be like an autograph or something!"

"_Um…_" Ash thought hard to remember his opponent's name. "Connie, was it?"

The girl squealed with delight. "**Omigosh!** **YES? **_I mean, yes?_ Yes?"

Ash grinned nervously at her reaction. "Don't give up so easily. You can still beat me."

"Me? _Beat the famous Ash Ketchum?_ **No way!** I'm not saying I'm a bad trainer, I just know you're a hundred times better than I'll ever be, Mr. Ketchum!"

"Just promise me you'll give it your all. And if you find yourself losing, try something you've never done before."

"_Hm?_" The young girl cocked her head in confusion.

"Hey, I've beaten trainers that were a thousand times better than me. Even when I saw myself losing, I never gave up. I kept trying, and I would try something others thought was crazy. But hey, if crazy makes me win, call me crazy." He laughed.

Ash gave a thumbs-up in her direction. "Just give it everything you've got. And once you've given everything, give it some more. Don't think you'll lose, focus on how you can win. Okay?"

"_Mm!_" The young girl blushed and nodded. "_Then…_ Mr. Ketchum?"

"Call me Ash."

"_A-Ash?_"

"Yeah?"

"**Prepare to lose**!" She turned and ran excitedly to her side of the field.

"_Trainers! Get your pokémon ready!"_

Ash lifted his jacket to reveal his poké balls.

"_This will be a three pokémon match."_ The loudspeaker's voice was now Misty's. _"No substitutions. No time limits. No restriction to type or ability. Any pokémon that is found outside the boundary markers on both ground and sky flags will automatically lose."_

The speaker returned to the original judge_. "Trainers! Send out your first pokémon!"_

"It's your turn! Jack!" Connie called out as she released a pokémon onto the field.

"_And trainer Connie has chosen an impressive-looking blaziken as her first pokémon!"_

"A blaziken, huh? Alright Sceptile, you ready for a rematch?"

"Sceptile!" The grass pokémon nodded in confidence as he jumped from the sidelines onto the field, eyeing his opponent.

"_And trainer Ash has chosen his sceptile to battle! What could he be planning?"_

"Hey Ash!" Connie called out from the far-end of the field. "You don't have to go easy on me!"

"I never said I was!" Ash responded. "Type-advantages aren't everything!"

Misty's voice chimed back in, _"A little trivia about Ash's bouts for you people. Ash's sceptile has faced a blaziken in a past tournament. The result of the match ended in a tie."_

"_Is Trainer Ash looking to settle a score?"_

"_Connie's blaziken versus Ash's sceptile! Round one, BEGIN!"_

"Alright Jack! Let's show Ash we're no push-overs! Fire Punch!"

"Sceptile! Use Agility to dodge and use Pound!"

Ash felt nervous. The arena was enormous, making it hard to focus his hearing. His Empathy ability allowed him to better find where the pokémon on the field were, but in the heat of battle they would only seem like blurs. The disadvantages would make him obviously handicapped for the match.

_I won't be able to fight this unless I can connect with Sceptile… _Ash balled his hands into fists.

"Jack! Block that hit! Use Fire Punch again!"

"Sceptile!" Ash's thoughts panicked trying to find a way to bond with Sceptile during the match. "Agility to dodge! Fire Bullet Seed and retreat towards me!"

"_Scept…"_ The pokémon's emotions showed it was _insulted_ with the command.

"Trust me!"

The pokémon grunted and did as instructed.

_How can I do this? It was easy to beat Team Rocket because of how close we were in that fight. But this? She's so far away I can barely make out what she's feeling._ Ash thought hard. _It's easy to connect with Pikachu since we've been together for so long… but… Sceptile…_

"Jack! Sand Attack!"

"Scept!"

_Rage, confusion, self-pity… Sceptile's blind!_

"Alright Jack! Bulk Up and ready for our finisher!"

"Blaziken!"

_Come on Ash… you've got to connect somehow… wait… Sceptile's blind. Sceptile's blind!_

"Sceptile. Listen to me. You can find your opponent even if blind. Just calm down first…"

_Rebellious… unwilling…_

"Do you want to lose this, Sceptile?"

"Sceptile…" A hint of _rage_ that suddenly turned_ cool… calm…_

"That's it, Sceptile. Now listen. Focus on just the sounds… just the one in front of you."

"_Scept…_"

"Blaaaaaze…" Jack breathed out, its muscles growing bigger by the second.

"Now loosen that focus until you hear everything around you." Ash continued, "Loosen it until everything around you is just sound."

The grass pokémon let loose a hum to affirm the action.

"Now focus again, but now only to my words. My tone. _My tone._" Ash repeated softly. _My tone._

Sceptile felt a faint link coming from Ash as he did this.

"_There, you can feel it. I'll be your eyes in this fight._" Ash smiled. "Just listen to me, keep feeling that, and we'll win this fight. …Got it?"

With a nod of the head, Sceptile got into a fight-ready stance.

_Can you feel this, Sceptile?_

Sceptile cocked its head slightly at the odd feeling but _agreed _emotionally.

"Jack! Blaze Kick!"

"_BLAZE!"_

_Sceptile… Leaf Storm into the attack. Agility right. Quick Attack behind._

Vaguely understanding the commands, Ash's sceptile began its attacks. Firing the Leaf Storm directly at the blaziken caused a flurry of leaves to catch fire as it made contact with the burning kick.

The blaziken's amusement at the futile attack suddenly turned to confusion as the burning leaves disappeared from his sight – revealing the sceptile's disappearance.

"_Blaze?"_

"Jack! Behind you!"

The blaziken halted his attack, only to feel several strikes hit his back.

_Sceptile duck. Jack kicking backwards._

Sceptile ducked just in time to dodge the blaziken's retaliating kick.

_Pound. Pound. Agility behind. Quick Attack. Pound. Slam._

Ash's intentions started becoming easier to feel, like a rhythm he could finally hear out.

"_Sceptile!"_ the pokémon smiled at this feeling. It was as if he could _see _his own body from the outside. He could trust Ash on this…

With two strong Pounds against the opponent's chest, Sceptile disappeared with another movement of Agility. It reappeared behind the opponent, striking quickly with a Quick Attack followed by one more Pound.

"_Blazike–!"_ the blaze pokémon's breath was knocked out by the sudden onslaught of attacks.

Sceptile smirked in pure glee. _Commands are much faster this way… _he thought to himself. _I don't know how I could ever go back to voice commands after this._

Wrapping one of his arms around the blaziken and placing his other hand on the side of its head, Sceptile pushed Jack down sideways, a powerful Slam for a finish.

…

Jack was knocked out completely, not even able to give a verbal response to the harsh assault.

"Oh no! _Jack_!"

"_And Connie's blaziken has been knocked out! Ash's sceptile wins this round!"_

A sense of pride filled Sceptile, strong enough to fill Ash with pride as well.

The two shared a genuine moment of admiration.

"_Trainers! Ready your second pokémon!"_

_We're not done yet, Sceptile._

* * *

><p>"Anabel!"<p>

…

"Anabel!"

…

"**HEY ANABEL!"**

Anabel woke to the loud shouting coming from the other cell. "_Mm…_ _**Huh?**_ What? **What! **_**What's going on?**_" She rolled out of her blankets in a panic.

"_Finally!_ You want to watch the semi-finals or what?" Angie was staring through the bars, impatience causing her to chew whatever was in her mouth faster.

"What? How?"

Angie stood aside, revealing a small television on the floor.

"_**Where did you get that?**_" Anabel feared what Angie had done now.

"Hey. I got it fair and square. I won it off Officer Jenny during a game of poker."

"You shouldn't be gambling at your age… _Wait._ **What were you using for a bet?**" Anabel shook her head quickly as she realized a more important question, "How did you play poker with Officer Jenny? You're always in your cell!"

"Hey, officers get bored too. So you wanna' watch or what?"

"That doesn't answer any of my questions!"

"So you don't want to watch? _Alright._ More for me."

"…watch what?"

"The Tsunami Festival Tournament, _duh_. Ash is already in the semi-finals."

"_**He is?**_ Move the TV closer! **Hurry!**"

"Oh **NOW **you're interested. You completely missed the awesome fight he had with an exploud."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"I did! But you said you wanted to sleep. So I let you sleep." Angie moved the small TV closer towards the bars.

"_Unbelievable folks! Ash's Heracross has just dodged another DragonBreath from Sansen's Steelix!" _The television's static blurred the screen as the camera zoomed in for a close-up of Ash's face. _"And as you can see on the widescreen, Ash is still giving no commands at all! Could our Legend from Pallet Town have learned some form of psychic abilities?"_

"**That's not psychic!**" Anabel gripped onto the bars in pure excitement. "Ash is mastering his Empathy!"

"Yeah, he's been doing this throughout the entire tournament." Angie sat back and adjusted herself until she became comfortable. "At first I thought he was just showing off, but I think it really makes his commands faster than using his voice."

"Even I wasn't able to expand my Empathy abilities that quickly. It took me years just to be able to give commands in mid-battle…" Anabel felt a tinge of envy fill her. "Ash is mastering it faster than I am."

"And here I thought you were the best. Looks like Ash will beat you pretty soon." Angie teased.

"No… I'm hardly the best. Though I think I am the most open about my ability. Most Empathy Trainers don't reveal their powers to others."

"Why's that?" Angie turned her head slightly to show her interest.

"People are afraid of it, I guess." Anabel frowned slightly.

"Why? People aren't afraid of Psychic trainers."

"Says you. A lot of people are afraid of Psychic trainers." Anabel loosened her grip on the bars. "But Empathy trainers, I think, are feared more because they can tell when someone's lying."

"So can Psychics."

"Not really. They can read thoughts, not intentions. One can lie to themselves, but those with Empathy can read past those lies."

"S_o…_ you're like a super-Psychic?" Angie giggled at that idea.

"No. We're pretty limited to only those who express themselves openly. Psychics can read thoughts no matter what. Empathics can only read the emotions if the other is willing."

"_Ash's Heracross fired off its Hyper Beam! The steelix isn't going to be able to dodge that! Looks like Trainer Sansen is in deep trouble."_

"_Garrison! Rock Tomb 'im!"_ the frustrated opponent's voice could be heard from across the field.

"This Trainer stands no chance." Angie frowned. Secretly she had wanted to see a real struggle of a match. "Even without his Empathy, Ash is the better trainer."

"You can tell all that from just watching this? You never know, the trainer might surprise you."

"Not his type. This guy has been winning every one of his other matches almost perfectly, but he's never faced someone like Ash before. Ash isn't a conventional fighter, and this one's far too conventional to put up a real fight."

"_And Sansen has lost the match! Trainer Ash Ketchum is moving to the Finals!"_

"_Maybe this tournament was good for Ash_…" Anabel sat on the floor, sighing in relief. The battle's result being the first positive note she's heard in a while.

"I know what you mean… Ash really looks like his old self now. It doesn't look like he ever lost his sight in the first place." Angie agreed.

Anabel smiled softly… then remembered something. "_Oh!_ Do you know if Team Rocket showed up?"

"Yeah they did. But they didn't start up the cameras until after that entire fiasco."

"What happened?"

"What do you think? Ash beat them."

Anabel placed her hand onto her chest and exhaled. "_That's good to hear._ Now I don't have to worry about that anymore."

"You shouldn't have worried in the first place." Angie lowered the volume of the TV and faced Anabel. "So how was the book?"

"_Hm?_"

"The book. The one you stayed up all of last night to finish the last chapters."

"_Oh right_! Sorry, my brain was a little distracted." Anabel ran to her bed and pulled the book from underneath the pillow. She returned to the edge of her cell, handing the book over to Angie. "I really liked this one! I'm not sure, but it may be better than the first."

"Nah, it's just as good as the first, it just feels like it's better because it's continuing the story you love."

"_I know!_ I mean, the one with Apollo and Sarah?"

Angie sat up excitedly. "_Me too!_ I didn't think they were going to finish that one!"

"And the part with the Mew Spires!"

"When the Captain of Two appeared? **Yes!** Best part!"

Anabel looked away with slight discomfort. "I mean, I don't know about you, _but isn't –_"

"Captain of Two attractive? **YES!**"

The two girls squealed in unison.

Anabel shook her head a bit. "I mean, _not like_ the Commander."

"Nothing_ LIKE_ the Commander."

"_Y-yeah…_"

"Captain of Two is someone you have a summer fling with, but the Commander is the guy you keep."

Anabel laughed nervously. "I guess that's true."

…

Anabel had a sudden thought. "_Wait…_ Angie?"

"Yeah?"

"You've never_… you know… summer fling?_"

"_Wh-What?_ _**N-No!**_"

The Empathic felt out Angie's emotions…

"_**You're lying!"**_ she gasped.

"_**I-It's not what you think! **_I mean I'm still a virgin."

Anabel tilted her head curiously.

Angie sighed and continued. "_Okay… so…_ Ash was kind of my summer fling. I mean, we never did anything, I just fell for him. My summer crush."

"Why be embarrassed of that? That seems a bit obvious."

"Because I had a boyfriend before I met Ash."

"_**YOU WHAT?"**_ Anabel didn't want to seem insulting, but her shock and excited interest got the best of her. She lowered to a whisper. _"So… you broke up with your boyfriend?"_

"_Yeah…_ but hey, the two of us never really clicked... _so it wasn't that bad_. I just liked him because I could depend on him. Childhood friend and all."

Anabel held her hand to her heart. "_The poor boy._ Not to be rude, but that boy must have been heartbroken!"

"_N-No, not really._ He was seeing other girls while he was with me."

"_**What?"**_ Anabel suddenly felt a deep pity for Angie. "**That jerk!** Why would he do that?"

"_Well…_ I just never let him do all those kind of… _things_ with me. I mean, not even kisses."

Anabel had curled into a comfortable position on the floor. "Not to pry, but any reason why?"

"When I first got with him, I honestly didn't know what_ "love" _really felt like outside of crushes." Angie added the quotations with her fingers. "I just thought having a boyfriend was just to have a boy you could trust hang out with you all the time."

"You must've known that boyfriends and girlfriends kiss though, right?"

"_Yeah… _but I thought that was just certain couples. I didn't think we were _that type_ of couple."

"So the breakup was mutual?"

"_Kind of…_"

Anabel wanted to look into her emotions, but as she noticed how sensitive Angie was at the moment… she backed away and decided to try to work with words instead.

"_Kind of_?"

"I mean, he got with another girl shortly after. And I was just left… _alone_, you know? Ash didn't exactly share the same feelings back. And he was already off on his own adventures…"

'_He's willing to if you just ask._' was what Anabel wanted to say, but she decided against it. _Ash is closer to Angie than he is with me… If I told her that, I'd give her more of an advantage than she needs._

The tomboy stared at the Empathy trainer, knowing she was deep in thought. "Don't feel pity for me or anything. I'll still win Ash over my way."

"Why should I pity a girl who's got a better chance than I do?" Anabel said blankly. Her eyes widened when she realized what she just said. _Oh no! Why did I say that?_

"Hey now, don't sell yourself short. You've got that Empathy thing. You can connect deeper with Ash than I can." Angie stopped herself from frowning. "Besides, it's not me you should worry about."

Anabel blinked in interest.

Angie blinked back in surprise. "_Remember_? Ash is at the tournament… **May's with him right now**."

Anabel let out a small gasp in remembrance. "_And so is Misty…_"

"_Right…_" Angie sighed. _Compared to Ms. Cerulean, I don't stand a chance…_

* * *

><p>"Ladies and gentleman, hurry back to your seats because the True-Champion-Final is going to begin!" Kate spoke into the microphone passionately.<p>

"Coming out into the field is the returning champion of the previous Tsunami Festival Tournament, Philip from Celadon City." Misty calmly announced.

"If you don't remember folks, Tsunami Champion Philip has held his title in this tournament three years in a row, him and his gardevoir being undefeated in every match they've been in."

"And coming onto the white field is Trainer Ash Ketchum. His unique style of strategy has made him rise through the ranks of this tournament with lightning speed. But will that shock and awe be enough to topple the undefeated champion of the Tsunami Festival?"

"The winner of the True-Champion-Final will receive the bonus championship prize money, the Tsunami Champion title, and a custom-made Tsunami ball."

"Remember folks, the Tsunami ball is not only a stylized poké ball, it also has the ability to capture water pokémon with greater ease than any Ultra Ball."

"Rules of the True-Champion-Final are as follows…" Misty held out a list and shared it with Kate.

"This is a one-on-one pokémon battle."

"There will be no use of items during this battle."

"There is no time limit."

"There is no type restriction."

"There is no ability restriction."

"And no boundary restriction."

The two spoke into the microphones in unison. **"Trainers ready your champion pokémon!"**

…

Misty let out a heavy sigh and leaned back on her chair.

"You really think this Philip will be any match for Ash?" May asked from behind the Guest Judge.

"I think the question is, _'will Ash be any match for the Tsunami Champion?'_" Kate answered for Misty.

"Have you not been watching the tournament?" May found herself irritated. "Ash has been beating every single person that's faced him. No loss whatsoever!"

"Kate's right, May."

May looked at Misty in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Philip may not have been to as much tournaments as Ash, but that's because he doesn't aim to be a Pokémon Master. If he did though, he very well could have been." Misty was saddened by her own doubt. "Philip's a powerful trainer, and Ash will no doubt find that he's tougher than most gym leaders he's ever faced."

May stared into the field, watching the tall trainer in the green robes release his gardevoir onto the field. Her glance moved to Ash, who simply nodded to the pikachu on his shoulder. "_Come on, Ash… show them what you're made of._"

* * *

><p>"<em>Let the True-Champion-Final begin!"<em> two voices occupied the loudspeakers.

The roar of the crowds was almost too much for Ash. Floods of sound and excitement nearly swept him away. A nervous shake began in his arm and leg, as his heart continued to beat faster and faster with adrenaline. He focused his attention to Pikachu, feeling his partner's exhilaration.

_Come on Pikachu, we can do this…_

…

"You're not a Psychic!" an accusing call came from the other side of the field, it was his opponent Philip.

"I never claimed to be!" Ash called back, dismissing whatever intention Philip had in that statement.

Ash's head felt odd.

_No, I suppose you didn't…_

_Wh-what?_ Ash's thoughts fought back against an intruding presence.

_I've been watching your fights, Mr. Ketchum… from the way you fought, I thought you were a Psychic like me…_ The thoughts swirled, as if judging his intelligence from different angles. _I guess I was wrong…_ It poked and prodded at Ash's mind… picking up certain ideas and dropping them, as if searching for something.

_Y-You're a Psychic?_

The intruding mind laughed in response. _Yes, yes I am… but not you… what could you be?_

_Get out of my head and let's fight._ Ash's emotions stirred.

_An Empathic? Interesting… I've never fought one before. This will be interesting._ A laugh _echoed _as the trespasser slowly left his mind.

Ash's frazzled brain snapped back to reality when he heard the incoming gardevoir.

_Pikachu Agility! Don't get too close to it and make sure you're not directly in front of it! _Ash felt out to his best friend.

_Yes._ was its emotional response.

Within a second, he could hear Pikachu's feet slicing the ground as he sped across the field.

However, the gardevoir stood completely still, its emotions calm – focused elsewhere.

_He's talking to it psychically._

"_**PIKAA!"**_ Pikachu's voice shattered into Ash's thoughts.

"Pikachu! What happened?"

_That's weird… I didn't hear anything… just a sudden pressure… but Pikachu's already off his feet. What's going on?_

He could feel a slight mental _laughter _scratching at his thoughts.

_Shut up! Get out of my head!_

It disappeared immediately. The gardevoir's body turned, following invisible commands.

"_**PII!"**_ Pikachu was tossed to the side by some unknown force.

_That doesn't sound like Psychic at all… It's just coming out of nowhere! Wait… the gardevoir…_

Ash felt out the gardevoir, feeling it _intend attacks_, yet not moving at all.

…

"_**PIKAAA!"**_

_That's it!_ Ash's mind flared in realization.

_Pikachu! The gardevoir's using Future Sight! Attack it before it does it again!_

_So now you're getting it._ The presence returned.

_I said get out of my head!_

_Heh… your mind is so honest it's telling me everything I need to know…_

_Shut up!_

_Like for instance, you're telling your Pikachu to use Quick Attack._

"Pika?" Pikachu's emotions suddenly turned into an extreme _confusion_.

Where the sound of the gardevoir's silent standing was, was now replaced with the sound of open air.

_What the –?_

The voice laughed. _The problem with that move, is that it doesn't work so well if I already knew it was coming._

"Pikachu! Where did gardevoir go?" Ash called out, desperate.

"Pika pikaa."_ 'I don't know' _was his response.

"_Philip's gardevoir is teleporting around the field! Making it impossible for Ash's pikachu to even touch it!"_ Misty's voice came alive in the loudspeakers.

"Teleport… _thanks Misty._" Ash's confusion turned to relief.

_Darn Guest Judge, ruining my fun._

_Quit reading my thoughts!_

_I'll quit it if you quit using Empathy._ The voice laughed.

_H-How do I keep him from reading my thoughts? _Ash thought when he felt Philip's presence disappear.

The Pallet Town native's attention moved to the gardevoir. _It's so calm. Its head is kept cool…_

He felt its emotional attention changing again. _Philip's giving more psychic commands…_

_Wait… I can't read its emotional intentions when it's trying to focus on Philip's commands! Can I do the same with my thoughts? I've got to try!_

* * *

><p><em>Gardevoir… Future Sight. Teleport. And fire off a Psychic while you're at it.<em> Philip smirked as he gave the mental instructions.

_Yes, master._ The Embrace Pokémon acknowledged quietly.

_Heheh. I don't care how famous this Ash Ketchum is, he doesn't stand a chance against me._

Philip turned and gazed at the bonus championship prize money basket in front of the Judge's Booth. _That should afford some new tune-ups for the car. Maybe a new paint job, too._

His attention returned to the battle at hand. _Now let's see what that Ketchum kid is planning next._

Focusing his senses, Philip entered Ash's mental territory. He found little to no thought. _Giving up alread–_

The Tsunami Champion's judgment was cut short by a psychic lance of _pain_ coming from his pokémon.

"_**GARDEVOIR!"**_ it screamed as it was launched into a wall, electric sparks still flowing out of her.

"**What? How did he –?"** Philip clenched his fist and shot a psionic pulse towards Ash.

* * *

><p>Something hit Ash's head hard. <em>Dull, yet sharp<em>. Whatever it was, it got his attention.

_Owww! What the heck was that?_

_You tell me. How did you command Pikachu without me noticing?_

_It'd ruin the surprise if I told you_. Ash smiled in Philip's direction.

_Think you're so smart. I know what you're doing. Concentrating fully on emotions. Smart move, but it still won't save you._

_You sound scared, Phil. Afraid you'll lose without your little trick?_

_WHY YOU!_ Another shot of mental pain hit Ash. _I don't need to read your thoughts to win. You're just a cocky kid who gets lucky in his fights!_

_If you really think that, then fight fair and square._

_You're on!_

"Gardevoir! Teleport! Double Team!"

"Pikachu! Agility! Volt Tackle!"

Gasps could be heard from the crowd.

"_**Ladies and gentlemen! Do my eyes deceive me or is Philip giving verbal commands?"**_the loud speakers rang in excitement, the voice obviously way too close to the microphone.

"_This marks the first time in TsuFest's history that Celadon City's Philip has ever given a verbal command to his pokémon. It seems the Lightning Master's attack was super-effective against the Tsunami Champion."_ Misty joked on the loudspeaker.

"Gardevoir! Teleport! Get behind Pikachu and use Psychic!"

"Pikachu, make Gardevoir regret that decision! Counter Shield!"

The white and green pokémon appeared behind Pikachu just in time to be hit by the Counter Shield. _"GARD!"_

"Gardevoir! Get up! Teleport away and fire off a Future Sight!"

"_G-Gar…_" The pokémon couldn't follow its master's commands, as its body refused to move.

"_It seems Gardevoir has been paralyzed by a technique I've never seen before!"_

A shuffle of sounds came from the loudspeakers before turning into a new voice. _"Counter Shield is an Ash Ketchum exclusive!" _May's voice sounded natural on the loudspeakers. _"Developed within his time in the Sinnoh region, Counter Shield creates a protective shield that parries most attacks and also damages the attacking pokémon."_

The microphone screeched, deafening the crowd as the announcer quickly switched. _"Well, yes, thank you. As I was saying… Philip's gardevoir is paralyzed! How will Philip counter this unfortunate turn of events?"_

"Come on Gardevoir! Try Teleport one more time!"

"_G-Garde…"_

"Pikachu! Volt Tackle!"

"_**Pika-Pika-Pika-Pika-Piiikaaa!"**_

**SLAM.**

Pikachu had managed to hit thin air and crashed into the wall instead.

"_Wh-what the-?"_

A successful teleport at the last second saved Gardevoir from certain defeat.

"Great job Gardevoir! Now Rest while his pikachu's down!"

"_Piiii~kaaaa~"_ Pikachu slowly climbed out of the rubble, eyes in a daze.

Ash laughed embarrassingly. "Y-You okay there, buddy?"

Pikachu slumped to the floor and dragged himself slowly across the field.

He finally reached the sleeping gardevoir, slowly trying to stand.

"Alright Pikachu! **Thunderbolt!**"

"Come on Gardevoir! _**Wake up!**_"

The pokémon's red eyes opened immediately. _"Gardevoir."_

"Perfect! Hurry! Imprison!"

"_**Gardevoir!"**_ Its eyes shined completely white.

"_**PIKACHUUU!"**_ Sparks shot out of Pikachu's body, but none of it formed an attack. No flash, no bolt.

…

"_Pika?"_

"What happened?" Ash grit his teeth.

"Gardevoir! Show them how it's done! **Thunderbolt!**"

"_Gardevoir."_ Lightning sparked around the Psychic Type and fired into a bolt at the confused pikachu.

"**PIKA!"** Electric energy shocked the rodent in place.

"_**Pikachu!**_ **Get out of there! Agility!**"

The small mouse pokémon disappeared in an instant, blurring back into vision on Ash's side of the field.

Philip smirked. "Alright Gardevoir, let's finish this like how we always do! Double Team and Calm Mind!"

"_Gardevoir…_" Several illusions of the Embrace Pokémon appeared on the field, each one closing their eyes, readying for their next attack.

"Don't think that'll work on us!" Ash knew exactly where the original gardevoir was located, unaffected by visual distractions. "Pikachu! Find the real one, it's the one at the corner!"

"And here I thought we were having a fair fight. Gardevoir! _**NOW! FOCUS BLAST!**_"

An energy ball formed in the center of each of the Psychic Pokémon's palms. "_Gardevoir…_" It released the blast towards the incoming Pikachu.

"_Pikachu's too close to dodge it!_ _**Come on, Ash think of something… think of something!**_"

Pikachu stopped mid-run and froze in front of the incoming blast. Its eyes widening in fear.

"**PIKACHUUUU!"** Ash called out with his heart.

In a single moment, time slowed to a crawl… Ash's connection with Pikachu shined bright, the two seeming as if one. In a flash of white, the bond turned physical, fueling Pikachu into charging forward with pure confidence and trust.

The electric mouse dashed towards the blast, shocking the crowd and judges.

"Heh. Game over." Philip smiled at his imminent victory.

Pikachu and the blast collided.

An explosion of light blinded the onlookers. The Focus Blast had shattering on impact.

Through the shards of light, Pikachu broke through.

"**WHAT?"** Philip stepped back in complete disbelief.

"_**PIIIIKAAAAAAA!"**_ Blazing with energy, Pikachu tackled into the stunned gardevoir.

"_**GA!"**_ Gardevoir's eyes widened as the collision from Pikachu dug deep into her stomach, the strange energy that formed around the mouse pokémon releasing deep into her will.

_I'm… sorry… master…_ Gardevoir's last conscious thought before fainting… reached Philip's mind.

"**GARDEVOIR!"** Philip reached out to the thought in desperation.

The world around Gardevoir turned black, her body falling limply to the floor as her mind and heart swirled with the released energy from Pikachu. _…memories of friendship, camaraderie, loyalty, and trust _filled Gardevoir. But it wasn't her own memories… _it was Ash's and Pikachu's._

…

Silence.

…

A loud static blurting from the loudspeakers destroyed the stillness. _"GARDEVOIR HAS FAINTED!" _

Cheers exploded from the crowd, crashing and smothering the loudspeaker's announcements.

"_Pikachu has won! Ash has won the True-Champion-Final! The new Tsunami Champion of this year is the Lightning Master himself, Ash Ketchum! The Lightning Tsunami!"_

Screams of pure adulation continued roaring out. Howls, squeals, shouts, and applause added to the explosion of noise. A slow chant began to build, _**"ASH! ASH! ASH! ASH! ASH! ASH!"**_

For Ash, this was almost too much. The booming sounds thrashed and swirled around him. He had never experienced such adoration before. It tingled in his nerves, ran through his veins and up his spine. He felt like he could be drowned by it.

In that moment, he wished he could have seen it. To have seen the faces, the standing ovations, the jumps for joy, the excited tossing of items, the confetti that was hitting his face… it would have been an overdose to the senses.

But nothing prepared him for this new feeling. What he couldn't see, he could…_ see_… in a different manner. _Feel. …colors of every shade, temperatures of every kind, spiking and rising, tiring and dipping, roaring and growling with the sounds, humming and echoing outside of it._ He could "_see_" it all, all around him. The feeling was _unreal_. Like _a dream bursting out of your mind_, how_ color sees the world_, or _energy breathing_. He could feel everyone. Not as individuals, but as a _massive, singular entity of vibration and emotion_. It was _awesome_. Truly awe-some.

"_Ash! Great job!"_ the loudspeakers rang with Misty's voice, breaking Ash's moment.

"_**I knew you could do it! I never doubted ya'!"**_ May's voice took over.

Ash waved his hand in the air, unsure which direction the Judge's Booth was.

Finding the right emotions and sounds he was looking for, Ash had walked onto the field and picked up the fatigued pikachu. "Hey buddy, great job out there." He said softly as he cradled Pikachu in his arms.

"_Pikapii…"_ His best friend smiled back weakly.

"Let's get those prizes and get out of here… I'm starved."

"Hey you." A stern voice said behind. It was _Philip_.

"Yeah? What d'ya want?" Ash grit his teeth, ready for another fight.

"Calm down. I just wanted to say… _congratulations_."

"H-Huh?"

"You did a good job out there. Sorry I ever doubted your skill. Guess I was too used to big-mouthed kids. But you're no big-mouth. You're the real deal."

"_Uh…_ thanks?"

"Don't mention it. And hey, nice Return. I've never seen one in a battle before." The former champ admitted. "Heck, I doubt I'd see one as good as that one ever again."

"Return?" Ash tilted his head.

"_You mean you didn't know?_" Philip laughed to himself. "You sure are full of surprises. You even surprise yourself, it seems." He stared off in one direction, recalling a thought, "…Return is a technique that uses the close bonds between a pokémon and its trainer as a form of energy to attack. That move is rarely seen by anyone… since no one really knows how to teach it. But hey, if anyone could use it – I'm not too surprised that an Empathic trainer such as you would be one of them."

Ash grinned and stroked Pikachu's head. "You hear that buddy? We just learned a new move."

Philip held out his hand. Ash felt the gesture and shook it.

"If you're ever by Celadon, look me up, I could learn a few new tricks from you."

"Bet on it."

"Oh, _and…_" Philip took out a piece of paper and pen from his pockets. "Can you give me an autograph?"

"_Wh-What?_"

"Not to me, give it out to Cindy."

"Cindy?"

"She's my gal, and happens to be a big fan of you too. …you can still write, right?"

"Yeah, just don't expect it to between any lines." He laughed in embarrassment.

Taking the pen and paper, he signed clumsily for his opponent's favor.

Philip took the objects back and nodded. "Thanks, Ketchum. You'll go far."

"Thanks to you too, Philip. You'll go far too!"

"I'm already where I want to be." Philip spread his arms to describe his place in the world. "Just living life how it should be. Moving how I should, and experiencing as I should." He sighed happily, "Glad you came though. You've inspired me to grow a closer connection with Gardevoir."

"You should, she's one tough girl." Ash acknowledged.

"She sure is. _Anyways._ Be seeing you, Lightning Tsunami." The former Tsunami Champion waved slightly and ran towards the audience. In the distance, Ash could hear the girl named 'Cindy' cheering excitement for her returning Philip.

It wasn't a win, yet he always had her. A victory he always had; a trophy worth more than anything.

…_I wonder if I'd ever have that…_

A curious smile appeared on his face.

Ash pet Pikachu's head and walked towards the arena exit. "_Lightning Tsunami…_ That sounds pretty cool. Don'tcha' think, Pikachu?"

"_Pika pii._"


	6. Chapter 6 Gifts

Night had fallen, and the light of the moon shined brightly on the back entrance of the stadium. Leaning patiently against a small red car, a Pokémon sketch-artist observed the stars in the sky… waiting for his friends to arrive.

"So how's it feel, Tsunami Champion?" Tracey remarked as he saw Ash appear around the corner.

"Tracey! _**Where have you been?**_" Ash felt like Tracey had been gone for a year. The events of the tournament and post-ceremony celebration made it feel like he had spent a complete lifetime in an entirely different region. It would take a while to shake off the feeling.

The sketch-artist smiled humorously at Ash's reaction. "I was in the in the VIP section, obviously."

"Why didn't you help when Team Rocket got there?"

"I did tell you I needed to get some sketches of a lucario in battle. _And…_" Tracey showed his sketchbook and flipped through it. "_See?_ I've got _pages _worth of sketches!"

"_Um… _Tracey? I can't see."

The Pokémon sketch-artist immediately closed his sketchbook and sweated heavily from embarrassment. "Oh! **Right! **Yeah… _well…_" he gave off a nervous laugh. "_Well_, I got lots of sketches."

"I'm glad you got your doodles finished while some of our lives were in danger." May commented sharply from around the corner, holding a large bag in her arms. "_It's okay_, we're fine now."

"Hey now, I knew you guys could handle it." Tracey defended himself weakly. "Besides… If you guys couldn't stop Team Rocket, the place was an entire stadium of pokémon enthusiasts! There's no way Team Rocket would've stood a chance in the end."

"I'm just teasing, Trace. Can you just help me with this bag? _It's getting heavy._"

Tracey rushed over and grabbed the bag from May, almost falling over. "_What's in this thing?_"

"Money." May said.

"Money." Ash repeated.

"**This is all money?** The prize cash didn't look that big!"

"It wasn't, but Ash wanted change." May rolled her eyes.

"Hey, soda machines don't accept hundreds." Ash sipped his soda happily.

"_So what are we doing with the prize money?"_ Tracey struggled with the bag, trying to find a comfortable way to hold it.

"Half of it we can spend, I guess." Ash suggested.

"_**Shopping spree!**_" May squealed to herself.

"_What happens to the rest?_" Tracey found it most comfortable to place the bag over his shoulder.

"We're donating it." The boy answered plainly as he sipped again.

"**Wow Ash!** _**That's really mature of you!**_" Tracey said as he wobbled over to his car.

"_Yeah I know_! _It surprised me too!_" May mentioned. She played with the Tsunami ball in her hands, finding the design to be hypnotizing and calming. "I thought he got replaced by a ditto or something."

Ash felt for the car's doorway, letting Pikachu enter first. "Can we head straight to the place to donate the money? I don't really want to be carrying it the entire time."

"Sure thing! Just name the place and we'll go straight there."

"_**Wait! Wait!"**_ A voice called out behind the car as its engine rumbled to life.

The engine shut off and Tracey's head popped out. "Misty! Long time no see!"

"_Can– I– join you– guys?_" She huffed as she tried catching her breath.

"Sure! Hop in!"

* * *

><p><strong>CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.<strong>

A baton hit the bars of Angie's cell, forcing her out of her sleep. Her head hit the wall as she sat up in the wrong direction. She groaned as she realized that whatever she had been dreaming was gone. Her fading memory told her it was a good dream, though she'd never be able to tell at this point. Only one portion remained and it was… _nope, I just lost it._

With a sigh, she turned and sat upright on the edge of the bed. "_Wh-What is it?_" she groggily asked whoever woke her from her sleep.

"Hey cheat, you've… got a call." Officer Jenny slurred slowly, showing that she had been stirred from her slumber as well.

The officer struggled with the keys, taking almost an entire minute to open the jail cell.

"You know the procedure. _Cuffs_."

"_Yeah, yeah._" Angie held out her wrists, allowing herself to be handcuffed.

Moving out of the way, Officer Jenny allowed the tomboy to exit her cell. "You're done with the television, right?" She ignored the girl and entered the unit to grab the small television.

"Yeah. You can have it back."

The police woman sat onto the floor and turned on the television.

…

Angie stared at her oddly.

Officer Jenny glanced her way and blinked. "_What_? You know where the phone is. _Go on_."

Angie mumbled a complaint that contained the word _'irresponsible'_ and walked down the cold hallway with an uncomfortable shuffle.

As she continued down the hall, she noticed the large arcanine standing at attention in the next room. She petted the arcanine's mane and smiled. _"You do all the work here, don't you boy!" _The massive pokémon tilted its head in curiosity to her words.

Reaching for the phone, a realization hit her. _Oh no… what if mom found out? Even worse, dad? Oh man… I'm so dead if they found out their girl's in prison!_

She hesitated longer, staring at the blinking red light at the edge of the device.

With a sigh, she wrapped her fingers around the phone. "Well, if they know now… it's too late to pretend I'm not here."

The phone's cold touch against her cheek made her flinch. "H-Hello?"

"_Hey Angie!"_ A boy's voice was on the other side.

The tomboy sank to her knees in relief and in happiness. "**Ash! Oh thank goodness it's you!**"

"_Wh-Why? What happened?"_ his voice panicked.

"No, no. I just thought you were my parents."

Ash laughed. _"Nah. I just called to ask you for some directions."_

"Hm? What is it?" Angie pressed the phone closer to her ear.

* * *

><p>"We can't accept this."<p>

"But it will help a lot of people!"

"With all respect, young man, we simply cannot accept this money."

"If it will help others, what's wrong with accepting it?"

…

"Please, accept it." Ash bowed as he held out the bag once again.

"Wouldn't you rather give it to some Pokémon Rescue group? Or a Pokémon Reservation Park?" The doctor adjusted his glasses, showing no sign of changing his mind.

"No." Ash almost hesitated, but decided to be firm. "They don't need as much help as your patients do."

The doctor exhaled slowly and sat quietly. Whatever was in his mind or heart wasn't clear. Whether obvious or hidden, it seemed that an older man's emotions seemed far more complicated despite its simplicity. Time and scars had affected it, maturity and experience had forged it, and knowledge controlled it. "Tell me, young man, why are you doing this?"

"_Well…_ to be honest…" Ash tried to find the right words. "I thought about all the adventures I had with my friends… _all the gym battles I've been in…_ and all the_ troubles_ I used to get myself into." He paused, giving himself another second of thought before deciding what to say next. "_And honestly?_ The hardest obstacle I ever had to face was knowing that I'd always be blind."

The late middle-aged doctor leaned back on his seat, adjusting his glasses again. It showed to be a habit of his. What that habit associated to, no one could really say.

Ash continued. "I felt scared. Angry. Sad. And just_… powerless._ It felt like everything was over for me. And nothing that you said made sense to me." He thought harder, memories and ideas being recollected and studied. His hands gripped. "_I mean,_ if we're _so far_ in Pokémon Technology and Medicine, how could we know so little about humans?"

Lowering the bag, the boy's voice became serious. "_Sure…_ I lost my sight, and I fought through it. But what if any of my friends got sick and you couldn't cure them? … _I wouldn't know what to do… I wouldn't be able to do anything at all._"

Ash was about to say more, feeling his heart wrenching from his thoughts, but the doctor stopped him.

"My daughter passed away."

…

"_It was…_ almost ironic. Her little pidgey was dying from a leech seed that embedded itself into its inner organs. Yet all they had to do was take it out and shine a strange device on the pidgey. And it was cured."

The doctor placed his glasses onto the table. "…my daughter had a terminal disease… _but it shouldn't have been terminal… _we should've known how to cure it. With all that we knew, with all the discoveries we had made, _we should have known_. But we knew next to nothing about the virus! No magical device could instantly cure her like it did her pidgey…"

Tilting his head downwards, the doctor's voice turned melancholy, "We tried holding a charity fund to find a cure before she died. …_However…_ _only three people donated_."

His fists gripped tightly. "Everyone was into those… _those… __**pokémon**_! _**Those simple, babied pokémon**_! They didn't have time for my daughter. _They didn't care…_ _…my daughter died a year later._" The man's voice struggled to keep from breaking. "_An entire year for people to care, and no one wanted to…_"

Tears ran down Ash's face, unable to ignore the _fury of cold pain_ coming from the man's heart. He put his hand on the doctor's arm. "_Sir… if it's alright…_ I'd like to know your daughter's name."

"Star…" The man's face faltered and tears flowed down his eyes. "_…because she was my little piece of heaven…_"

…

"_May I donate this money to the Star Charity?"_

"…_yes, of course. I will accept it._"

Ash left the bag on the floor and decided to leave the man with his thoughts.

"_Boy…"_

He turned. "Yes?"

The doctor stood up and moved across the room, opening a file cabinet and rummaging through it.

"_Please take this."_ A ball fell into Ash's hands.

Ash felt it out. "A poké ball?"

"_A Master Ball._"

"I can't –"

"_Yes, you can accept it. _…my daughter loved pokémon as much as you did. She loved them… One of her favorite stories was about a Dragonite that visited dreams. I promised her that when she grew up, I'd help her catch one… so she could share her dreams with it." The doctor's voice fought back to gain its composure. "I… was supposed to give this to her on her sixteenth birthday."

Ash breathed out slowly and nodded. "I'll make sure to capture a Dragonite for your daughter, sir."

"_Thank you…"_

Ash exited the office and closed the door behind him.

…

As he walked down the hallway, he felt someone wrap their arms around him from behind.

"Misty?"

She was sobbing softly. _"Thank you, Ash."_

"…thank you for wh–?"

Misty turned the boy towards her and held him close. _"Just shut up and take the compliment."_

* * *

><p>Misty stared at her choices carefully, reading every description and detail. She couldn't make a hasty decision. What she would settle on would affect everything from this point on.<em> Don't panic. Keep calm. Predict what would happen next and plan accordingly. You can do this.<em> She'd repeat to herself over and over again.

_This one! _She tugged at the object confidently. And with all the plans in her mind, she whispered its secrets into Ash's left ear.

This wasn't Misty's first time so close to him today. He was slowly getting used to the distance… a distance that would've left his younger self in stiff shyness. His former discomfort was now turning into eagerness. Whatever she had to say, he needed to hear. He had to know what was happening, what was coming next, and what plans she had in her comparatively genius mind.

In striking contrast, Ash was growing less comfortable with the tension building up in May.

"**Just make your move already!**" May pressed her back against the door, her body screaming for more room.

"_Alright_… I send out Natu!" Ash placed a playing card down with a picture of a round and green bird pokémon with strange eyes. He pulled another card from his hand and slipped it underneath the Pokémon Card. "And I use Telekinesis. I get to choose any of your pokémon to attack, and I'll choose the Houndoom on your bench. It does ten damage to him, and since he already has sixty damage, this ten will finish him off."

May laughed. "_Ha!_ My Houndoom is resistant to psychic attacks!"

Misty excitedly picked up the Natu card and held it in May's face. "Read it and weep. _'This attack's damage isn't affected by Weakness or Resistance.'_"

"And that means, Houndoom loses, and I get my last prize card." Ash grinned. "_I win._"

The female coordinator threw the cards in her hand at Misty's face. "_**You guys cheated!**_"

"You wish. You're just mad because you can't build a good deck." The Cerulean Gym Leader threw the cards back to its owner.

"I have a good deck!" May grabbed her cards and organized them back to her deck. "You guys are just cheaters. Two against one isn't very sportsmanlike."

"It's the only way Ash can play, dummy. These cards don't have sound instructions on them."

…

Ash laughed. "_Wow May, that's rough._"

"What?" Misty moved her head closer to Ash's. "_What did she say about me?_"

May placed her deck back into its bag and turned away in her seat. "I have no idea what you two are talking about."

Ash's face turned into shock. "May! Watch the language."

Misty's face turned red with anger. "What's she saying about me?" She grabbed Ash by the shoulders and shook him. "You better tell me!"

"Alright kids!" Tracey interrupted. "We're home. Quit your fighting."

The car pulled to a halt on a patch of grass, as the small town of Pallet had little use for driveways. Showing its age, the engine responded terribly slowly to being turned off.

To the side faced the Ketchum Residence, in all its plain yet comforting glory.

A man with brown hair walked over to the parked car and opened the backseat door. May fell out with a yelp.

"_Ow…_" she whined. "Thanks a lot Gary."

Gary laughed. "No prob. _Say_, is Ash in there with you guys?"

Ash scooted towards the door and felt for the exit. "Hey Gary, how's the lab doing?" he asked in an attempt to distract Gary from noticing his awkward search for where to place his feet.

The former rival grabbed him by the forearm and helped him out of the car. "It's okay, nothing new. But enough about that boring old place…"

A hand slapped Ash's back. "What about you?" Gary proceeded to wrap his arm around the blind Trainer's shoulder. "That was an amazing tournament! I mean, those trainers could've used a bit more practice, but you did pretty well for a blind kid!"

"_Uh…_ thanks?"

"I had heard you learned Empathy, but I had no idea you could use it like that! I mean, that Return at the end of the match was _**amazing**_, Ashy boy!"

"Am I the only one who didn't know about that move?" Ash asked in irritation, though he seemed to be more irritated by Gary's use of the old nickname.

"_And am I the last one Ash told about this whole Empathy business?_" Misty hissed loudly.

"I said I was sorry, Misty! Besides, you could've visited more often." Ash tried to defend himself.

"Well I'm _sorrrrrry_! But some of us actually have a job!" she hit him across the shoulder.

Tracey walked around the car and struggled to pull the bag of cash out of the trunk. "Oh yeah… _uff!_ Misty, how long are you staying here, anyways?"

"Why?" Misty walked over and helped carry the prize bag. "Am I getting in your guys' way?"

"No no, not that. It's just –_ oof! _– like you said, you are the Gym Leader of Cerulean City. _So…_" Tracey turned his head. "Hey um, Ash? Can you move a bit?"

"_Oh… yeah._ Sorry about that." Ash side-stepped.

"Anyways… not to be rude, Misty, but shouldn't you be heading back by now to the Gym?"

"Oh that." Misty struggled with her end of the bag as she hopped over a bump on the dirt road. "No, I called my sisters. Told them I needed a break. So they've got the gym for a while."

"And you decided to take your break with us?" Tracey laughed. "You could've gone anywhere for a vacation. I heard the Orange Isles hotels are cheap this season."

"She probably just wants to use up some of the prize money." May grumbled.

"_Hmph!_" Misty glared at May. "I'll tell you–"

"She's just here for Ash." Gary interrupted nonchalantly.

Misty nearly fell over.

"Quit teasing, Gary." Ash appeared by Tracey and Misty, holding up one side of the bag before it overtook Misty. "And shouldn't you be helping with the bag?"

"Learn to ask, and you might just receive." Gary pulled out a poké ball and released the creature inside.

"_**Blastoise!**_" roared the tortoise-like pokémon.

With a **snap **of his fingers, the blastoise picked up the bag easily and walked down the road.

"I meant you yourself, Gary." Ash complained as he continued walking.

"Knowing one's own weakness is important too, Ash." Gary replied coolly as he followed his blastoise.

May walked ahead of them and **knocked **on the door.

A Mr. Mime opened the door. He stepped aside for the incoming visitors. "Mime mime!" he greeted with a smile.

"**Mom!**" Ash called out. "**We're home!**"

"Oh my Ash!" Delia ran over and hugged her boy. "_Are you okay? Did you get hurt?_" Ash's mother checked to see if there were any tears in his clothing.

"Yeah _yeah_, I'm fine. I was just gone for a couple days, mom."

Delia suddenly had a serious look on her face as she stomped towards May. "**And you!** May, **dear**. We need to have a serious discussion of you putting my boy in danger."

Tracey was about to walk into the house. Noticing May's predicament, he quickly whispered to Ash, _"Been fun, see you later."_ Tracey ran off before he could be punished as the responsible adult. May noticed the sudden absence of her partner in crime and felt cornered.

The blastoise stood uncomfortably in front of the door…

Noticing his _anxious_ feelings, Ash turned and smiled. "It's fine, you can just leave the bag at the doorstep."

"_Blast…"_ the blastoise sighed in relief, glad he didn't have to try to fit through such a small entrance.

The impact of the bag made a large **thud** that caught Delia's attention.

"_Hm?_ What is that?"

"The prize money." May quickly said, hoping that it would distract the mother's fury.

Delia opened the bag and grinned widely. "Oh Ash! _You wouldn't mind if your mother borrows some of this for shopping, would you?_" The question obviously rhetorical.

"_Uh…_ sure, of course."

May sighed in defeat, _"There goes my shopping money…"_

* * *

><p>Her foot slowly pressed against the floor. A long and low <strong>creak<strong> followed the pressure, forcing her to switch her stance as she hurried her footsteps. **Crik. Crik Crik. Crik.** _These floors never stay quiet no matter how you walk on them!_ she complained in her head as she sped down the hallway.

She found herself in front of the door. The hand she wanted to use to knock was suddenly shaking, her consciousness becoming fully aware of what was happening and going to happen. She made a shuffle step back. **Crik.**

…_What am I doing?_

Several thoughts ran across her head, making her increasingly indecisive by the second. Could she _really do this_? What was she even _planning on doing_? This was so _stupid_. Just _go back_. Just _turn around and head back. Right. None of this had to happen. None of this had to matter._

"_Whoever it is, the door's open."_ Ash called from inside the room.

_Oh no, he's awake! No wait, what would I have done if he was asleep? What did I even come here for?_ The girl turned around and fled quickly back up the hallway.

"_Misty?"_ the voice echoed, forcing her to halt from turning the corner.

"Oh Ash! _Heheh. Silly me!_ Looks like the restroom was this way." Misty backed up and squirmed around the corner.

"Actually the restroom's right over there." The boy in his pajamas pointed absently at the door next to the fleeing girl.

"Oh well, _it's okay,_ I don't need to go anymore." she giggled and readied to escape down the steps.

"Did you want to talk to me about something?"

…

_Guess it's too late now._ "_Fine_ fine, you caught me." Misty sighed. "Can we…"

She hesitated… changing her casual voice into a whisper, "_…go in your room, though?_"

"Sure." Ash moved and bowed jokingly.

"Such a gentleman." Misty responded with a posh accent. She walked into the room with faked sense of elegance.

Ash closed the door behind him quietly and faced Misty's direction.

"_So… _Why are you awake so late?" Ash began the conversation.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Misty retaliated, mostly out of curiosity.

"To tell the truth, I'm actually still excited about winning that tournament." A grin formed on his face. "I mean, the crowd went **WILD** for me! They were chanting my name!_** It felt amazing!**_"

Misty giggled at his over-excitement. "You are quite a celebrity these days."

Ash scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess so. So why are you awake so late?"

The Gym Leader stared at the floor, unsure what to say.

"You just wanted to talk?" Ash tried to read her.

_He's right. But it's not exactly that simple of an answer…_

"_Well… i_t doesn't have to be simple…. If you wanted to talk, we can talk. Doesn't have to be about anything special." Ash shrugged.

"It's rude to use your Empathy on a woman." She pouted.

"_S-Sorry,_ I don't really have full control on it yet."

…

"_Actually…_" Misty sat on the floor and rested her back against Ash's bed, petting the sleeping pikachu next to her. "_…that's kind of what I wanted to talk about._ Your Empathy, _that is_."

"What about it exactly?"

"For starters, how does it _feel_?"

_Everyone always asks me this… I suppose it's better than asking how being blind is._

Ash thought for a minute. Thinking that the question was too vague _once again_, he searched out her emotions to find out more of what she was trying to ask. "_It's…_ almost like a thought, and you can swear you hear it in your head like a thought, but really it's coming from in here." Ash _thumped_ his hand against his chest.

"It's kind of confusing." he continued. "It's like… _I dunno…_ recently it's like… _a fire_? Or maybe _like lights_? The colors and heat changes for each feeling, and for some reason I just know who's feeling it. Like each of you have your own flavor. Or something _like_ that. Sometimes I can focus it and really know what they're feeling. Like a metal detector for emotions or something."

"So can you read what I'm feeling?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Sure, why not." Misty sat up in interest.

Ash sat down in front of her and closed his eyes.

…

"You're wondering if I really can do this or if I'm just a lucky guesser. You're wondering if I'm really blind. You think my pajamas are cute. You're now wondering if I knew that Pikachu has been hiding ketchup bottles underneath my bed. And now you're feeling surprised and shock. Now_ awkward_? _Now…_ you just blocked yourself up. _Blank._ I can't read it." Ash opened his eyes, hoping he'd be able to see something, at least one little physical light. _Nothing._ "…How was that?"

"Good. But what color and heat was I?"

"For a while you were a kind of light blue. Then you turned a dark blue. Then a bit pink. Then I think _orange_? Then pale yellow. Then I think it was either green or brown. And then black when you blocked yourself... _or not black exactly…_ it feels like a loss of color. _Darker than black_?" Ash was scratching his chin, thinking himself a detective. "_As for heat…_ I'd say you were mostly warm, a few cold spots, and then just turned absolutely freezing."

Misty smiled, satisfied with his answer. She began to stare at him inquisitively, studying him.

His eyes stared back at her blankly; they were almost lifeless, like the gateway to his soul was blocked. He couldn't see her; _he might never see her again_. But there he was. _Judging everything about_ her. _Looking into_ her _and understanding_ her_ as if he always knew how_. It frightened her in a way, but at the same time _she felt pity for him_. Not because he was blind. But because _he was Ash_.

He was _still _Ash Ketchum. …she traveled _everywhere with him_, survived _so many trials with him_… yet he was always _so stubborn, so impatient, so immature_. He might have changed slightly, but _he was still Ash to her_. Even if he_ looked _different, she still felt the same around him as she _always_ did. Ash was always _thick-headed_, he'd never know something was up _even if hit slapped him across the face_… _he still wouldn't get that she…_

Misty adjusted her seating and laid open her hands. What she was about to ask for next… _she was absolutely unsure of_, but her curiosity got the best of her.

"_So Ash… what color and heat am I now?_"

…

"_Uhm… uh…_" Ash's face turned red. "_I– I can't really tell. It's just really close and…. And…. Er… really warm… um.._"

In her heart, Misty had moved closer to Ash. Her face so close to his. Her hand moving his hand to her heart. _…can you…?_

"…_c-can I…?_" Ash stuttered as his heart pumped faster than it ever should have…

_Should I?_ Misty thought out…

Ash wasn't sure if he should answer. Ash wasn't sure if there was an answer. **Gulp **being his only hint.

She smiled childishly and closed her hands. "_You're pretty good._ I guess that's how you did so well in that tournament." A blush ran across her face.

...

Misty admired his face._ Whenever we're alone, we're very different aren't we?_

"_Th-Thanks._" Ash responded to the previous conversation quickly, avoiding her emotional question. He did his best to regain his composure.

Crawling onto the bed, Ash sat up and changed the subject as fast as he could, "_Um._ You want to help me build a new deck to fight against May tomorrow?"

_Oh Ash._ "Sure thing, show me where your cards are." Misty looked underneath the bed.

"It should be in a big box somewhere down there."

As she pushed aside empty ketchup bottles and shoeboxes, she found a wallet that looked like it had been lost underneath the bed for months. She took a peek inside.

_No money… hm? What's this?_

A small photo fell out of its worn out pocket. It was a picture of her and Ash. They were splashing fountain water at each other. _I remember that day… Did Brock take this picture? Why does Ash have it?_ A soft smile filled her face.

…

"Misty?"

"_Oh right!_ **Cards!**" She slipped the photo into her pocket and continued searching. _He won't miss this, will he? …after all, he can't see it._

"_Nah._ Go ahead and take whatever photos you find down there."

"What did I just say about using Empathy on a woman?"

"You were stealing my stuff."

"It's not like you need it."

"And you do?"

Misty blushed, forcing Ash to blush.

…

"_Hey, um, Ash_?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"_Can we do something else other than cards?_"

"…S-Sure, what did you have in mind?"

Misty crawled out from underneath the bed and sat up. She shook her head to fling off any dust that stuck to her hair. "I um… _was thinking…_ you think you could_ teach me_?"

"Teach you?"

"_Empathy."_

"Empathy?"

"_Well, can you?"_

Ash's heart skipped a beat. The previous feelings he had avoided already coming back to haunt him. _'Can you…?'_

_STOMP._ Ash blocked out the memory immediately. "_I don't…_ I don't-! _**Blah!**_" Ash was doing his best to clear his tongue and thought. Misty laughed at his clumsy response.

He coughed to start over the sentence. "_I don't know really._ I don't know how to teach it."

"Well, how do your pokémon do it?"

"Actually, they can't do Empathy. They can only _hear_ my Empathy."

"Then can you teach me that?"

"_I um…_ _thing is… you see…_ me and my pokémon were really close, _so…_"

"_You don't think…_" Misty blushed hard. "_…we're close?_"

_Misty, why do you keep doing this? STOMP STOMP!_

He shook out all his thoughts and decided the only way out of this awkward situation was to try to resolve it… "**Alright.** I'll try."

Misty looked up instantly and grabbed onto the bed in excitement. "_**Really?**_"

"Yeah, sure. Just… _let's see…_" Ash sat up straight and thought hard. He wasn't sure how to approach a lesson like this. _This was more of Anabel's thing_, he considered… but now that he was in this situation, it felt like there was no exit. No turning back.

…

"…First, close your eyes."

* * *

><p>"<em>Ash! Ash!"<em> May yelled excitedly from across the street. _"__**Can I buy these earrings?**__"_

"Such beautiful earrings." A voice hummed behind May. "Of course you could buy those for me." It was Delia, glaring down at the girl who dragged her child into trouble.

May fell down to her knees in defeat. "**That's not fair!** _**When I can buy something for myself?**_"

"May, dear. I believe it was my son that won that cash prize, _not you_." Ash's mother smiled sweetly.

"_**Not fair!**_"

"_Looks like they're at it again."_ Gary sighed. "So Ashy, when are we going to battle?"

…

"Ash?"

"_Huh_? Oh sorry, was a little distracted."

"You've been distracted all day. I said when are we going to battle?"

_Anyways, so my next scene would look like this…_

Ash felt waves crashing against water, the image of two Pokémon Trainers facing each other on their revenge match floating above the image of the rocky beach.

_I'm not so sure Sally would be wearing her that kind of hat._ Ash responded.

_Why not? Ten years has passed. She would've changed styles. Besides, it looks great on her new outfit._

_Ten years can change a person, but I don't think a girl like Sally would change that much. Not change that kind of way, at least. She's a tough girl. I don't think she'd change her standards like that. And… I don't think she's the type to be that concerned with fashion._

"_**ASH!"**_ Gary was shouting in his ear.

"_**WAAAHHHH!"**_ Ash fell over. "_Owww!_ What was that for?"

"_You know, Ash…_ I don't think I'd want to battle you when you're this distracted." Pulling him by the arm, Gary lifted Ash to his feet and patted him on the back. "Just contact me tomorrow, when you're feeling better."

Gary walked away, pulling out his pokédev to make a call.

"_Oh…_ Did I interrupt a conversation?" Misty walked out of the store Ash was waiting outside of, carrying several bags of new clothes. She looked around in confusion.

"Yeah, but I think Gary just rescheduled our battle for tomorrow."

"Good, because you still owe me a fight tonight." Misty smirked and handed him a few of her bags.

Ash grabbed the bags and weighed them thoughtfully. "Have you seen Pikachu?"

"I saw him running towards the hot dog stand."

Ash sighed. "Not again."

Misty leaned against the wall of the shop and closed her eyes. _Anyways, so you seriously think Sally would still wear that hat?_

"You do realize we're standing right next to each other, right? You don't need to do that." Ash replied to her thought.

"It's fun. Besides, you didn't answer my question."

"_Fine fine_. No, that's not what I meant–"

"Empathy please, I don't want anyone hearing the story out loud." Misty broke his sentence.

He shrugged his shoulders and focused his emotions. _That's not what I meant. I meant that she could have a different hat, just not a different kind of hat. You know, maybe different colors and patterns._

_Really? What makes you say that?_

_Well… I still wear the same kind of hats even though they're different colors and patterns._

_She's a woman, you realize that, right?_

_So your guy characters can act like women but your women can't act like men? That's fair._

_Well –_

"Why are you two making weird faces at each other?" May appeared, startling the both of them.

"**Oh** May! _How long have you been standing there?_" Ash laughed nervously.

She tilted her head in confusion. "I've been here. _Why?_ Am I interrupting something?"

_Yes. Yes you are._

_She can't hear you._

_I know that! But you can. It's like a secret code. Just have fun with it._

Ash sighed.

"_Alright, alright._ I get the hint. _I'll leave you two alone._" The Coordinator briskly walked away.

"_Huh?_ No wait! May! I didn't mean to sigh at you!"

_Got a thing for May, Ash?_ Misty nudged his arm.

"**Why does everyone keep asking me that?**" Ash cried out in frustration.

Misty coughed irritatingly. _Use Empathy please._

**Sigh.**

* * *

><p>'<em>To Anabel. I thought you'd like this.'<em> was scribbled with poor handwriting on the slip of the package.

The package itself wasn't something to marvel at either, it was shoddily wrapped and the ribbon was slightly off-center. In some way, its clumsiness made it much more beautiful to her than any well-wrapped package. _More personal, rather than one perfected for display_.

Anabel smiled. Instead of depending on others, Ash had decided to wrap this himself. She took a moment to wonder if he didn't want anyone else to find out about this present.

Across from her, she saw Angie ripping open her own package with her teeth.

"**Anj!**" Anabel had given her prison mate a nickname during their time together. "**Calm down**. The present's not going anywhere."

"I'm not being impatient or anything! _Ash just wrapped this up weirdly…_ I can't get it open!" Angie continued gnawing on the corner of the package.

Anabel looked down at her package and found a loose opening on the side. Inserting her finger, she tugged against the wrapping. Within seconds, the package opened up by itself, revealing a single, large tube capsule.

_There's something inside…_ Anabel was surprised at her own thought, as she had not chosen to think it. Though she knew there was an item inside the capsule, there was something _else_. _Something_ almost communicating with her. _It feels alive?_

With an inhale of hesitation, Anabel twisted open the capsule and peeked inside.

Inside, a rolled-up paper took up most of the space. Though there was also a smaller object hidden at the bottom.

She tilted the capsule towards her. A beautiful necklace slipped onto her lap… its centerpiece gem began to shine. _A different sort of shine._ There was no harsh light within the cell to cause it to sparkle visually. Instead, it sparkled with _feeling_.

A crumpled up piece of paper fell as well. She opened and flattened the paper against the cold floor. In Ash's blind writing, the paper read as followed:

'_Hey Anabel! I thought you might like this.'_

'_For some reason, I could see this necklace in a store I went to today! It was weird.'_

'_I asked the store owner what it was, and he said it was a Soul Heart. Some kind of gem that's said to only shine its true light to those with Empathy.'_

'_I have no idea what that means, but I thought it was pretty cool and thought you'd like it.'_

'_Oh! And did you see the sketch Tracey made? He says it's of me during the tournament. Thought you'd want one.'_

'_-Hope you're okay in there, Ash'_

Anabel pressed the necklace against her heart, cherishing it with her soul. She felt the gem react to her hold, as if it _hugged back_. She smiled.

"**Oh man! Look at what I got!"** Angie's loud yell disturbed her soft thoughts.

Anabel turned and saw the tomboy holding up a large blastoise toy.

"You a fan of blastoise?" Anabel asked, holding back a laugh at her immaturity.

Angie growled. "It's not **JUST** a blastoise. Watch this!" She pressed a hidden button on the back. The blastoise's eyes lit up and let out a small roar. The cannons on its back aimed forward. _"Prepare to fire the hydro cannon!" an _electronic voice echoed from the toy's speakers.

Anabel gasped. _"Is that –?"_

"**You're darn right it is!**" Angie grinned arrogantly. "It's the Shell Tank from_ Commander of Wartortles_!"

"I didn't know they had a toy line."

Angie held the Shell Tank close to herself as if protecting it. "It's NOT a toy. It's a **COLLECTIBLE**."

Anabel giggled. "_Alright_. I didn't know they had collectibles."

"They sure do! They even have clothes of the crew!'

"**Really?**" Anabel tried imagining herself in some of the crew outfits. _…dancing with the Commander… under a starlit night… Ash would be the Commander…_

"**Oh!** And I also got this!" Angie disturbed Anabel's thoughts again. She held out a curled paper with a sketching on it. The sketch was of Ash standing beside his infernape, the two looked ready for battle.

"Hm? Who drew that?"

"Tracey, duh."

"Tracey?" Anabel blinked in confusion.

"Oh right." Angie had just realized that Anabel was more out of touch of Ash's friends and travels than she was. "It's another one of Ash's friends. He's Professor Oak's assistant. He does a lot of sketches. I think he might've been with Ash and May during the tournament." She turned the paper around to admire it. "_You should've been awake for that battle! __**It was amazing!**_"

Anabel instantly remembered the rolled-up paper that was still in the cylinder package. She crawled over to the tube-casing and pulled it out.  
>Unrolling it, she was surprised by the illustration's beautiful details. It was of Ash and Pikachu. Confetti was raining down on them, arms raised to greet the cheering crowd. There was an energized emotion in the drawing, which brought the event to life for Anabel.<p>

_Ash must've felt beyond excited to win that tournament. I wish I could've been there…_

"Oh! **Did you get a drawing too?** Let me see!" Angie was hanging onto the prison bars just to see what the Empathic was looking at. "And what else did you get?"

Anabel showed her the drawing first.

Angie grinned. "That one's really awesome! You wanna' trade?"

"No way." The Frontier Brain shook her head and hid the page from view. She then picked up the necklace and showed it against her neck.

"Oh. _It's just jewelry._ That's nice." Angie turned away in disinterest.

Anabel narrowed her eyes, feeling Angie out. _She's not even jealous? Hmph! Tomboys can't appreciate true beauty._

She was too deep in her thoughts to notice the tomboy picking at her own cell's lock.

With a creek of metal, the door swung open and Angie started walking towards the exit.

"**Wh-Wha-What?**" Anabel snapped out of her thoughts and clung onto the bars. "_**ANJ!**_ _**Where do you think you're going? **__Get back in your cell! You're going to get us in trouble!_"

Angie waved her off like a pest. "Calm down. I do this every night. I'm not going to run off, I'm just going to ask Officer Jenny if I could make a phone call."

"_**She knows about this?"**_

"Who do you think taught me how to pick the lock?"

"_**WHAT?"**_

"Be right back. I'll bring you a juice or something." Angie closed the prison door behind her.

…

Anabel stood awestruck, unsure who to be angry at.

* * *

><p>"Oh hey Angie!" Ash adjusted the phone against his ear as he ducked.<p>

A gush of water flew above his head, barely scraping his hair.

"I'm doing great. Just fine." Ash dodged another geyser.

"_**PIIIIIKAAAA-PIKA-AAA-PIKAAAAA!"**_ Pikachu was laughing uncontrollably.

"_Hm_? Oh that's just Pikachu." With a quick step, he avoided a tackle from a starmie.

"MIME! MIME!" Mr. Mime scolded as he cleaned up the soaked floor.

"Yeah, that's Mr. Mime. Hey Mr. Mime! Hey Pikachu! Angie says _'Hi!'_" Ash kicked the star-shaped pokémon aside as it came back around for another tackle.

"_HUAH!"_ the pokémon yelled in pain.

"**Huh**? Oh. _That_. That's Misty's starmie."

_Get off the phone and get back in the fight!_

_Stop tickling Pikachu and fight fairly!_ Ash complained back.

"_Hm_? Turn on the vid? _Why_? I can't see." He dodged another incoming tackle from Starmie.

Misty stopped tickling Pikachu and walked over to vidphone. Pushing Ash's head aside, she clicked on the camera button.

The screen blinked to life, and Angie's curious face turned into confusion at the sight of Ash's predicament.

A starmie was flying across the house, firing water at Ash every chance it got. Pikachu was on the floor, trying to catch its breath from laughing too hard and too long. Mr. Mime was too busy trying to dry off several items to try to interfere. Misty had an annoyed look on her face, with a black eye. And Ash was completely soaked.

"_WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON IN THERE?"_ The vidphone's speaker screeched at Angie's loud demand.

Everything stopped at once and all individuals stared at the tomboy's image on the screen.

…

Pikachu burst out laughing shortly after.

Ash scratched the back of his head. "_Eheh…_ Misty and I were having a battle and _SHE_ decided it would be a good idea to bring the battle into the house."

"**No!**" Misty jabbed Ash in the stomach. "I brought the fight in here because you had to keep giving commands to Pikachu even though you said _'Time Out'_!"

Ash grabbed his stomach in pain and laughed weakly.

Angie stared at Misty. _"What happened to your eye?"_

The Cerulean Gym Leader touched her eye and flinched back in pain. "Oh. **This?** Pikachu tackled me in the face."

"_Ash! How could you?"_

The blind trainer stood straight and waved his hand in defense. "**Y-You're looking at it all wrong!** _**She's**_ the one who wanted a Trainer-and-Pokémon Battle!"

Misty nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm the one who asked for it."

"_What the heck happened in he–__**UWAHHHHHH!**_"

Angie watched a slipping May slide across the room and crash off-screen.

…

…

The tomboy burst out laughing at the entire scene.

Her laughter was far too contagious for Ash and he soon joined along, only for it to be cut short as Misty punched him across the face.

"**That's **for using Pikachu in this fight!" Misty kicked him while he was down.

Angie laughed harder and tried her best to compose herself. _"A-Anyways! Ash!"_

Ash popped up from the ground. "Yeah?"

"_Just wanted to say that both Anabel and I loved our gifts!"_

"**What?"** May popped out from the side, wet. "Even Anabel and Angie got gifts? Why didn't you buy me anything, Ash?"

"Because my mom would just take it from you anyways."

"**It's not fair!**" May cried before she found herself slipping again. "_Whoah!_"

Ash smiled towards the screen. "I'm glad you two liked it. How are you guys holding up in there, anyways?"

"_We're doing okay. It gets kind of boring in here at times, but we're still sane." _Angie adjusted the phone against her ear. _"And don't forget! Tomorrow's the day we're out of here. So come on over to pick us up, okay?"_

Misty walked off-screen, annoyed about something.

Ash seemed to be staring at her walking away. He turned back towards the screen. "Don't worry, I didn't forget. Want me to get there with Tracey's car or would you rather walk?"

"_Ugh. A walk, please! I'm tired of confined spaces."_

"You got it. See you tomorrow, okay Angie?"

"_You better."_ The phone clicked off.

As soon as Ash put down the phone, he was double-teamed by a tackle from both Misty and Starmie.


	7. Chapter 7 Freedom

"_HAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! __**IT'S SOOOO GOOD TO BE OUT!**_" Angie screamed out into the open air.

"I know!" Anabel released a stressed sigh. "It's nice to feel the sun again."

Ash smiled. "So is that it? You two are just free now?"

Angie frowned. "_Nooooo_. The stupid court wants us to do community service."

"Well, considering the damage we've done, I think we're being let off easy." Anabel said optimistically.

"Well yeah, but we can't get back our pokémon until then!"

"It's a good thing I left Espeon at home." the Empathic smiled.

"Way to rub it in, Anne."

"No problem, Anj."

"Anne? Anj?" Ash snickered. "I like the nicknames. You two must've gotten pretty close in there."

"Yeah, Anne ain't that bad if you get to know her." Angie smiled as she played with her Shell Tank.

"Thanks, Anj. You're not that bad either." Anabel adjusted the books she was carrying.

_You're not too bad yourself, Ash._ Anabel winked.

_Nice to talk to you Empathically again too, Anabel._ He smiled nervously.

_What's she saying? _Another voice appeared.

_Hm? Who's that?_ Anabel blinked around curiously.

_M-Misty? Where are you?_ Ash panicked.

_In the bushes. To your left… no wait, your right… no… wait… yeah, your left. Anyways, what did she say?_

Anabel felt jealousy sting her._ Misty's an Empathic too?_

_Wh-what? No. No no. _Ash returned his attention to Anabel, trying to calm her._ Misty can only hear my Empathy and talk back, she's not really an Empathic._

_Oh! Can she hear me? Hi Anabel!_

_So she's kind of like your pokémon. _Anabel felt slightly relieved.

_Misty? A pokémon?_ Ash imagined the thought of capturing Misty humorously.

"**Who are you calling a pokémon?"** Misty popped out of the bushes, glowering at the female Empathic.

Passers-by hurried past, disturbed at the sight of a black-eyed female randomly popping out of the bushes and screaming _'who are you calling a pokémon'_.

Angie jumped aside, frightened by her sudden appearance. "_**Whoah!**_ _Misty?_ _**Where'd you come from?**_"

The female Empathic gave an arrogant smile and smoothly commented, "You shouldn't be interrupting conversations… and you shouldn't pose as an Empathic either."

Misty growled. _Why… you… WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?_

Angie looked even more confused. "_Wait…_ Misty? _An Empathic?_"

"No fighting girls." Officer Jenny called from behind them. "Don't make me lock you up again!"

Anabel turned away, scared at the thought of being tossed back in the prison.

_Did she call me a pokémon?_ Misty stabbed at Ash.

_K-kinda'…_ Ash laughed nervously.

The tomboy watched the other three with curiosity. Her curiosity turned to frustration. _"How many Empathics are there?"_

"She's not an Empathic." Anabel coolly responded. "She can just respond to Ash's Empathy."

"_Ohhhh._ So like a pokémon?"

"**Quit calling me a pokémon!**" Misty roared. "_**That's it! **_I challenge the both of you to a Pokémon Battle!"

Officer Jenny stood behind Misty ominously. _"I wouldn't do that if I were you…"_

Misty flinched at the realization of the tall shadow behind her. "Oh. _M-mornin' Officer._"

"Listen here, girl. These two are not to have any Pokémon Battles until the court says so." The officer adjusted her hat. "If you try to even challenge them again, I'll make sure you're put behind bars as well."

Misty shrunk. "_Y-Yes, Officer._"

"Good." And with that, the Officer walked away.

"_Hope you're not restricted from any battles, Ashy boy."_ Gary rounded around the corner. "You promised me a battle today."

"Gary! Don't worry. I didn't forget. When and where?" Ash smiled in determination.

"Back by the river, after lunch. I'll be treating."

Angie jumped for joy. "**Food!** Oh how I miss having real food! **Thank you Gary!**"

"No problem, cutey. Let's go."

Ash growled… feeling slight jealousy at Gary's treatment of Angie.

Misty's eye twitched… angry of Ash's concern over Angie.

Anabel frowned… becoming protective over Ash as she felt Misty claiming him emotionally.

Angie smiled… just happy for food.

* * *

><p>An empty plate now lay in front of him.<p>

He wasn't sure if he liked the food he ate. With each bite, he wondered if the taste was strange or unique. Whatever it was, Gary was the one that ordered for all of them. Anabel assured him that it's an acquired taste; Misty stated Ash would never get used to it; Angie was too hungry to tell if it had a flavor; and Gary guaranteed that it was the best the restaurant had to offer.

Ash had never been to this restaurant. Too fancy for his tastes. He just wanted hamburgers. That's all he was thinking right now. He just _wanted hamburgers_.

"Ready to go, Ash?" Gary returned from paying the bill.

"Definitely! Let's do this!" In all honesty, Ash wasn't sure if he was ready to battle… his stomach felt weird from the strange food. The strange food that wasn't hamburgers.

_Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?_

_I'm fine. It isn't that bad, Anabel. I just wanted something better._

_Well you better focus on the battle, Ash._ Misty pushed with her feelings. _Looks like Gary's taking a liking to Angie. You wouldn't want to lose to him._

_Why is he, though? Angie's not even Gary's type! _Ash felt jealousy rise up again.

Though this was intended by Misty's tease, it irritated her.

_What's wrong with Anj? She has her charms. _Anabel stared at Gary boasting to Angie.

_Nothing's wrong with Anj. She's just not Gary's type. Gary goes for girls obsessed with themselves. Nice hair, big eyes, and uh… big… chests._

_Maybe Angie just reminds him of a certain someone. But it's a forbidden love, so he has to find the closest thing to it. _Misty joked. Though she couldn't hear Anabel's side of the conversation, she could gather bits and pieces from what Ash was feeling.

_That would be so cute and romantic!_ Anabel's thoughts floated off to daydreams.

_What are you even talking abou– _Ash suddenly realized what Misty was referring to. _Ew! No! Misty, what's wrong with you? Uck! Ew! Now I can't get it out of my head!_

_STOMP STOMP STOMP!_

Misty laughed out loud, making Gary and Angie stare at her oddly. Their stares made her silent.

_Great, this whole Empathy thing is making me look crazy to people._ Misty pouted to herself.

_Especially with that hair of yours._ Ash teased.

_What's wrong with my hair? _Accidentally, Misty felt a small emotion shortly after… _Do you not like my hair? How do you like my hair? _The questions were genuinely curious and concerned.

Ash felt surprised. _Are you asking for my approval?_

Misty's emotions shut on him like a safe. "**What?** No! **Why would I need the approval of someone who doesn't even have a sense of fashion?**" She stomped out of the restaurant.

Gary and Angie blinked at Ash and Anabel.

"What just happened?" Gary asked with confusion in his voice.

"I kind of made fun of Misty's hair." Ash admitted.

…

Ash and Angie laughed loudly together. Anabel and Gary stared oddly.

Angie noticed their confused faces and composed herself. "_Get it_? Ash can't see her hair. How would he know?"

Anabel giggled. Gary just scratched his chin.

"Anyways, let's get going. We're scaring the customers." Gary picked up his bag and headed out the door.

* * *

><p>The sun shined on a plain field next to a river.<p>

A place in between Pallet and _wherever that fancy restaurant was_. Ash had no idea where they were right now, but it felt comfortable enough.

The area reminded him of his earlier travels, when battling was just about finding a random, wandering pokémon or Pokémon Trainer and challenging them right on the field. No weird gimmicks or deals. Nothing really on the line other than pride and honor.

This place suited that. The sound of the river **splashing** softly, the breeze **sweeping** against the grass, the pidgey switching between **chirps** and soft **calls **that resembled their name, and the warm sun warming the area to a comfortable degree. Simple, basic, no interference, and no distractions. It was perfect.

"Alright, we need a referee. … How about you, sweet cheeks?" Gary winked at Angie.

The tomboy looked at him strangely and walked to the center of the field. "_Alright then…_"

Adjusting her clothes and shoes as if she were the one competing, Angie made herself comfortable. To her, there was no rush. She was full, awake, and just glad to be out in the open air.

She cleared her throat. "Today's match is between Trai–"

A **surge** of water **roared** behind Angie as the river came alive with activity.

Rising from the river in a red light, a gyarados was summoned out of its poké ball, a whirlpool of water left swirling at its wake.

"**RWUUUHHHHHRRRR!**" Its roar caused everyone to flinch in panic.

"_**Where the heck did that come from?"**_ Ash's senses panicked. The emotions and the energy around him _spiked _to the point where it was difficult for him to feel or hear anything clearly.

Something had ran up the back of the gyarados and climbed onto its head.

"**Today's match…"** The figure called out from atop the gyarados. **"Is between Pokémon Trainer Ash Ketchum and Pokémon Researcher Gary Oak!"**

"Misty?" Ash faced up to the lone _outline_ above the swirl of emotions. "Where did you come from?"

"**Gyarados! Flamethrower!"**

The gyarados spat flames at Ash, roasting him to silence.

"**This is a two versus two battle!"** Misty continued. **"No substitutions allowed! No time limit! No items! No boundary! Special rules are in effect! Raging Gyarados Rules!"**

"What the heck is Raging Gyarados Rules?" Gary raised his brow.

"**Flamethrower!"**

Gary was burnt into silence as well.

"**Rules are, neither of you are allowed to directly attack Gyarados, but it doesn't work the other way around!"** Misty slammed her foot down heavily against the gyarados' head.

"**RWWWWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHH!" **The gyarados' roar shook the bones of all who heard it.

The referee had jumped off her gyarados and into the river. A few seconds later, she popped out of the water and crawled onto the grass. Shaking herself dry, she exclaimed, **"Trainers! Send out your pokémon!"**

Ash and Gary snapped out of their burning daze and faced each other confidently.

"Buizel! Sceptile! Come out!" Ash yelled out.

"Let's see if you can still fight through type disadvantages! Electivire! Magmar!" Gary countered.

The four pokémon appeared on the field, sizing each other up.

Misty raised her arm into the air. **"Trainers! …**

"**Begin the Battle!"** She swung her arm downwards.

Just as the match begun, her gyarados launched a Hyper Beam into the center of the field.

The **explosion** caused debris and dirt to fill the air.

Gary found himself coughing and wiping his eyes.

_This won't stop him…_ Gary spit the last specs of dust out of his throat. He began to call out his orders, "Electivire! Protect! Magmar, be ready for anything."

Electivire raised his arms in defense and closed his eyes. Magmar, unaffected by the debris, stood firmly and searched his surroundings carefully.

The two pokémon stood back-to-back, following the command _'be ready for anything'_ with perfect focus.

…

…

A flurry of leaves flew exploded through the dust cloud and pierced into Electivire, his Protect giving him a warning in time to dodge the attack completely.

"Electivire. Protect again."

"_Elect!"_ the pokémon hissed into its stance.

"Magmar! Flamethrower into where those leaves came from!"

"Magmaaaaa–" The spitfire pokémon shot a stream of flame into the dust clearing.

_Come on, Ash… show yourself…_

The magmar continued its fiery onslaught. Its fire burning brighter and hotter with every passing second.

"_**BUIIIII!"**_ The smoke to the right Magmar suddenly cleared as a SonicBoom burst through and smashed into the magmar. The surprise attack was almost enough to knock the Fire Type Pokémon onto his side. Focusing, it rebalanced itself without much effort.

"_You're going to have to do better than that, Ash..._ Magmar! Return the favor with Fire Blast!"

"Mag! …** Mar!**" A symbol of fire shot out and flew towards the smoke's opening, with Ash's buizel, still recovering from launching its attack from the river, directly in its path of destruction.

Dust broke on the other side of the field. Sceptile shifted into view next to Electivire and stuck it with a quick jab. The attack was easily dodged. Before Electivire had time to process what had happened, the Forest Pokémon jumped back and disappeared into the smoke.

_He's trying to make my Protect weaker… Smart move, Ash. But you're only winning because we're playing your game right now. _Gary looked towards where Ash's buizel was… it disappeared, with the fire blast being absorbed by the river._ He's using the smoke to his advantage…_

"Magmar! Overheat!"

Magmar opened its mouth wide and fired a giant pillar of flame into the air, its intense heat forcing the surrounding air to blow away the last trace of dirt clouds that covered the field.

Gary could now see Ash and his sceptile. _Where's Buizel?_

"Electivire! Protect! Magmar! Will-O-Wisp!"

Sceptile dashed towards Electivire again and launched another Quick Attack. Just like before, Electivire dodged. Magmar's Will-O-Wisp fired. Its target was Sceptile. The Grass Type avoided it with ease.

"Think that would work on me?" Gary smirked. "Magmar! Redirect it! Electivire! Thunder!"

The Forest Pokémon glanced quickly around him. His face became alert as he noticed the incoming lightning coming from the sky and the blue flames making a return flight towards him.

Ash grinned as a powerful shot of water extinguished the blue flames before it could reach its target. Sceptile found his opening and dashed out of the way of the Thunder.

"_**ELECTIVIRE!"**_ the pokémon yelled. Gyarados' tail smashed him across the field.

"_Tch_, that darn gyarados… _Like I need any other disadvantages in this fight._" Gary frowned. His eyes caught Buizel dive back underwater next to the gyarados.

"Magmar! Blow a Smoke Screen up there!" Gary pointed at Gyarados' head.

"Gary Oak! Do you want me to disqualify you from this match?" Misty raised her arm into the air, ready to declare Ash winner by default.

"Doesn't work that way, ref. I never told my Magmar to directly attack your gyarados. Your gyarados just happened to be in the way."

Magmar blew smoke into gyarados' eyes, causing the water-flying-type pokémon to fire Flamethrower attacks in random directions.

_That deals with him… now…_ "Electivire! Use Thunder on the river!"

"**Now you're pushing it!"** Misty raised her arm in the air again as a warning.

"Not aiming for your gyarados, ref!"

Before the lightning could hit the water, Buizel leapt out.

"_Ha!_ You shouldn't have gone so far into the river..."

The Sea Weasel Pokémon showed panic, as the electricity continued to bounce back and forth on the water's surface.

"Water, water everywhere… and not a spot to land." Gary hummed.

"_Buizel!"_ The buizel punched the water, taking some electricity with numbing pain. Its face gained confidence as ice formed around its arm and spread throughout a large portion of the river.

"Smart move. But I think you forgot about one thing."

"_**BUIII!"**_ Buizel panicked as the ice around him suddenly cracked and crushed.

"GWUUUUUHHHH!" The raging gyarados thrashed around, its irritation exploding as both lightning and ice had struck him.

Ash's face turned serious.

Sceptile reappeared by Electivire and slashed at it with its Leaf Blades.

"_Electi!"_ it roared in pain as it took a few steps back.

Buizel launched itself from its position with Aqua Jet as it aimed straight for Magmar.

"Don't think so!" Gary gripped his hand into a fist. "Magmar! Flamethrower on Sceptile! Electivire! Thunderpunch Buizel!"

The Spitfire Pokémon blasted a stream of superheated flame towards Sceptile. As with every attack, the sceptile dodged the Flamethrower… but the wall of flame prevented him from stopping Electivire's attack on Buizel.

Ash clenched his teeth.

Buizel shot his freezing fist forward, freezing and solidifying the Aqua Jet's water. A barrier of ice had surrounded his body completely, as he continued launching towards its intended target.

Electivire blocked Buizel's path and his electric punch connected. The attack broke the ice barrier completely, but its electric potential being entirely dampened by the ice.

"_**What?"**_ Gary's eyes widened.

The flame from Magmar's mouth finally shrank. _An opening…_ Sceptile reappeared by Electivire and Pounded its tail against the electric-type's back again and again.

"Electivire! Thunderpunch back!"

The Thunderbolt Pokémon turned, blocked the grass pokémon's assault and rammed its sparking fist towards its vulnerable stomach.

The Forest Pokémon let out a small grunt as it swung its arm inward, blocking the incoming attack with its shining Leaf Blade.

**CHIIIK**. The two energies from each attack sparked against one another.

Electivire and Sceptile growled at each other as the opposing forces from each attack slowly drained each other's health.

"_**!"**_

Both Ash and Gary flinched in surprise as the gyarados fired off another Hyper Beam towards the field.

Electivire's and Sceptile's eyes widened as the blast headed towards them.

**BOOOM**

…

A gust of wind blew the drifting smoke aside, revealing Gary's electivire knocked out on the ground. Ash's sceptile had dodged just in time.

Sceptile smiled with arrogance.

"Getting distracted?" Gary smirked.

The Grass Type realized too late that he had backed up into something. Magmar wrapped his powerful arms around the quick pokémon. Ash's sceptile struggled to break free.

"Magmar. Turn up the heat."

"_Maaag…_" Magmar flexed, its extremely high temperature suddenly turning impossibly hot. Fire exploded around its body, incinerating everything in its path.

"_Sc_-_SC_-_**SCEPTIIIILE!**_" The Forest Pokémon screamed out.

"Sceptile!" Ash's first word since the start of the match.

Magmar released Sceptile, letting him fall to the ground completely defeated.

"Electivire and Sceptile are no longer able to battle!" Misty called out from the side. "Magmar and Buizel remain!"

"Buiiii! _Zel!_" Buizel fired off a large shot of water at Gary's magmar.

"Magmar! Faint Attack!"

Magmar inhaled, disappearing completely. The shot of water exploding into mist as it had smashed against the ground the Spitfire Pokémon had been standing on.

A near-invisible punch landed across Buizel's face, sending the sea weasel rolling across the grass. With a deep exhale, the Fire Type Pokémon re-appeared a few feet away. The stunned Buizel twitched. Magmar smirked and slowly walked towards the wounded pokémon.

"_**BUI**_-!" Buizel's scream cut short as its air was being squeezed out of him, Magmar's foot adding more and more weight against his back.

"Looks like I'll be the one showing you that type advantages don't win every time." Gary raised his hand in the air to signify the last move of the match. "Magmar! Fire Spin!"

"**Mag!"** Magmar loosened its weight on Buizel as it began to inhale.

"**Buizel!"** Ash shouted. _**"NOW!"**_

The Water Type Pokémon twisted its body and shot a Water Gun at Magmar's feet. Its target's foot became slick and slippery. Buizel shot itself out with Aqua Jet towards the river.

Fire exploded out of Magmar only a matter of seconds after, incinerating the floor around him.

As Buizel skidded across the water, it dodged an incoming Bite from Gyarados and used the Atrocious Pokémon's body as a launch point. It landed its weight against Gyarados' hard-scale skin, turned, and fired itself back at Magmar with another Aqua Jet.

"Even water boils, Ash! Magmar! **Maximum Overheat!**"

"_**MAGMAAAAAAAAA–**_" A gigantic burst of flame rushed towards the water-protected pokémon.

"BUI!_ BUI! _BUI! _BUI!_" Buizel fired off several rounds of Water Pulse towards the flame, each one weakening the fire by a level.

"That won't be enough, Ash! You're finished!"

"_**BUIZEL!"**_ Buizel froze the water around him again with an Ice Punch. The flames engulfed the ice, quickly melting it by the second. _**"BUIIII!"**_ With a quick swing of his tails, a SonicBoom knocked away the ice that had protected Buizel and cut a solid chunk of Magmar's flame attack.

"_You're just full of surprises, aren't you?_" Gary smiled, realizing that there was no time to react for his pokémon.

The Water Type landed softly on the ground.

"_Ma-_!" Magmar's eyes widened as he found the weasel pokémon completely unharmed.

"_**BUIIIIII!"**_ Buizel gave him no time to recover; he charged at the Fire Type as quickly as he could and planted a freezing fist into Magmar's hot belly.

"_Maaa–gma–r!_" Ice crawled up its body. Each inch being rendered useless as the air and moisture around it began to solidify. Within seconds, Magmar was completely frozen. Its shocked pose fully captured in its ice-covered state.

"…_bui._" The water pokémon exhaled.

…

"Gyarados! Return!" Misty called back the giant of a pokémon into its tiny ball. "Magmar is unable to battle! Buizel is the winner! **Trainer Ash has defeated Researcher Gary.**"

"**Alright! I beat Gary!**" Ash ran onto the field and picked up Buizel excitedly. "We did it pal!" He ran over to his beat-up sceptile and helped him to his feet. "**We all did it! **You guys did awesome!"

"Pretty good, Ashy." Gary recalled both his pokémon into their poké balls. "I really think this whole Empathy business really made you into a better trainer."

"_Th-Thanks._" Ash blushed at the compliment.

"Awesome battle, Ash!" Angie had punched Ash's arm with the comment.

**Cough. Cough.** "Yeah. _Very good battle._ Congratulations." Anabel had seen better days, her clothes and hair having scorch marks from several of Magmar's and Gyarados' missed attacks.

"Congrats, Ash." Misty smiled. "And I guess I should _apologize_. I didn't realize your earlier comment was a… _joke_ until just a few minutes ago." She laughed with embarrassment.

"_Hm?_" Ash tilted his head.

"You know… the whole hair thing."

Ash and Angie laughed together at the joke only they seemed to think was hilarious.

Ash felt a hand placed onto his shoulder. It was Gary's.

"Glad I got a taste of what Empathy can really do before I left."

"_Huh? _You're leaving?" Ash questioned with a tone of concern. "Already?"

"Well of course. You really think I'd stick here this whole time? I still have to research pokémon all across the globe!" Gary said with a sense of obviousness. "If anything, this battle proves I _SHOULD_ go. There's still much to know about pokémon. Staying here would only hinder my studies."

"Where you heading to next?" Misty asked.

"I heard there's some interesting, new pokémon in the Unova region. I'll be spending a few months over there." Gary looked through his pokédev, ready to make another call. "So I'll be seeing you all in a few months then?"

Angie hugged Gary tightly. "Thank you for the food, Gary!"

Gary patted her head endearingly and looked up at Ash. "You take care of this girl, kay?"

"Huh?"

With a laugh, Gary walked off and put his pokédev up to his ear. He waved one last goodbye and yelled out, "_Keep in contact! You know my number!"_

…

Ash stood silent until something bugged him…. "Do any of you know his number?"

All three girls shook their heads.

"Should I run up to him to ask?"

"**Eh.**" Misty shrugged.

"I just want to go home!" whined Angie.

"_Me too._" Ash agreed. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>"What? You're leaving already?"<p>

"What? You thought I was going to stay here forever?"

Ash had walked into his house expecting a time of celebration and comfort from all the activities he had done in the past few days. Instead, he met the floor face-to-face after tripping on a baggage that sat awkwardly in front of the door. It was Ash's first hint that someone was leaving – and it was Angie's new reason to laugh for the day.

After being lifted to his feet, an apologetic May had exclaimed it was her bags. Bags being plural, as Ash soon realized after tripping over another one.

Despite the double embarrassment, Ash still had enough heart to help May with her packing – more out of trying to get an answer from her than genuine helpfulness.

"Where are you heading?" Ash continued with his questions.

"You know I've got Contests to attend." May stated as she placed another shirt into her bag carefully.

Misty organized some essentials into a small pack. "You take care of yourself. And be sure to call."

"Yes mom." May giggled. She walked over to Misty and helped close the pack. "Thanks."

"No prob. Be sure to write too."

"Write to who?" May looked offended.

Misty blinked at her, confused. Her face mimicked May's soon afterwards. "No! _Not to Ash!_ Me! Dummy."

The young Coordinator stuck her tongue out and scratched the back of her head. "Oh, _right right_." she responded shyly.

"Wait, why can't she write to me?" Ash faced blankly in their direction.

…

"_Oh wait. _Right right." He laughed nervously.

The two girls laughed in unison.

"What's going on in here?" Ash's mother had come into the room. Her reaction was similar to a cat returning home only to find a new item within it.

Delia Ketchum was known to disappear from the house at certain times of the day. If unlucky, one may never catch her in the house and assume she moved out. Where his mother had been, Ash had no idea. Where his mother always goes, he never knows. He had always assumed it was always for groceries or buying something for the house. But with Mr. Mime now a part of their lives, he noticed that Mr. Mime had more chores in the house whenever she came home with new items.

Such wasn't the case this time, as she had brought nothing home. Such wasn't the case many times. Ash hadn't thought of it until now. Though whatever answer he'd find for that, more than likely had little reward in its answer. _She probably goes out to watch movies or something…_ he thought to himself.

"I'm heading out today, Ms. Ketchum." May had responded politely with a hint of childishness.

"Leaving already? But dear, you just got here!" Whatever anger Ash's mother held against May had disappeared completely by now. Her tone was sincere and full of curiosity.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I still have a lot of tourneys to attend, and the next major one will be starting soon. I have to leave today if I want to have enough time to register and train for them."

"_Ahh…_ I see." Delia smiled softly. "You come back anytime you want, okay dear?"

"Definitely, Ms. Ketchum!"

"Ash just loves your company."

"I love Ash,_ to-_" May realized what she had just blurted. Her face burned red. "_E-EXCUSE ME!_" She ran out of the room quickly.

Ms. Ketchum gave a very smug smile towards Ash. Her son may not have seen it, but he certainly felt it. His face had turned red itself. _Stomp Stomp Stomp!_ He was going to try his best to ignore that the situation had ever occurred.

With an awkward posture, he quickly shuffled out of the guest room.

Misty, on the other hand, had kept herself quite busy moving bags to the door. Though after this event, she had done it with much less careful carrying and much more _'kicking them across the floor'_.

…

"**Well!"** Delia clapped her hands pleasantly together. "You kids are busy, so I'll just prepare a dinner. Maybe we can all have one big farewell feast for May? Oh it'll be fun." With that, Delia had walked away with a satisfied hum.

A minute later, Misty had walked into Ash's room, an emotion of _irritation_ surrounding her. She sat on the floor with a **thump** and pulled out the box of cards from underneath Ash's bed.

"_Er…_" Ash hesitated.

Misty had begun searching through each deck and organizing them into their own groups.

"_M-Misty?_"

"_What._"

"_What are you doing in here?_" Ash had asked cautiously. Realizing that he had asked an extremely blunt question, he flinched – expecting to be smacked across the face.

"**Why. Am I not allowed in here.**" None of Misty's words had a hint of query or interest. They were simple, straight, and to the point – almost in an accusatory tone.

"_It's just… well…_"

Misty **sighed**. "Empathy, please. I really am not in the mood to talk."

_I was just saying…_ Ash felt more comfortable _'_talking_' _this way, but he still had to choose his _'_words_'_ carefully. Feeling the wrong thing at the wrong moment often had worse consequences than saying the wrong thing. _…well, you haven't hung around my room since that night._

_And?_ Misty's emotions were cold, yet open for conversation.

_You usually hang out in my mom's room… you know, since your sleeping bag is in there._

Misty, unlike the other girls, was not opposed to sharing the master bedroom with Delia while staying at the Ketchum house. However, she had bought her own sleeping bag to stay in there – not wishing to take any spot that Ash's mother or Mr. Mime had claimed as their own. To have her in his room at the moment was definitely perplexing for Ash – as she had normally felt uncomfortable being alone with him while others were awake.

_May's in there._

…

"I said May's in there." Misty voiced herself.

"I – I heard." Ash responded quickly. _I just didn't really know what to say. Er… why's she in there?_

_Dunno. But she better not be on my stuff._

Misty had stacked a new deck to the side and started shuffling it.

_So… what do you want to do today?_

_I already am doing what I want._ Misty's tone was still cold, still firm in showing nothing else but answers to his questions.

…_you want to play with me?_

_One: No. Two: I wouldn't be able to. You need someone to look through your cards for you, remember?_

_Right… So… you just want to organize things?_

_I may be a woman of fashion, but I'm also one of function, Ash. I don't just sit down and organize your cards just for looks. It's not like you can see it._

_Then why are you organizing it?_

_Because I want to play._

Ash had no idea how to approach Misty's basic answers. He feared that she would snap if he asked too many questions.

_Do me a favor?_

Ash stopped thinking. _Huh?_

_Do me a favor._ Misty clarified herself.

_Okay, what is it?_

_Go talk to May._

_Wh-What?_ Ash's thoughts and emotions shot in every direction.

"Calm down." Misty said with a small tap on his leg with her elbow. "I just want her out of my stuff. You can do that, can't you?"

"_But…_"

"But what?"

"_What happened earlier…_" Ash said with tension, as he tried to avoid recalling what he just blocked out.

"Why." Misty stated with a far colder tone with her emotions, "Did _something_ happen?"

Ash got the message crystal clear. "_N-Nope._ I'll… _go talk to her_."

"Thank you."


	8. Chapter 8 Identity

**Knock Knock Knock.**

"_Wh-Who is it?"_ a voice nervously muffled through the door.

"_Um… me_, Ash."

"_A-Ash? UM! I'm busyyy!"_

"I just came to check on Misty's stuff."

…

**Click.**

The door slowly **creaked** open.

**Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.**

"_C-Come in!"_

Ash slipped into the room.

He felt around, physically and with his Empathy.

The room had remained the same since his last visit there, other than for the additional things stacked against one side of the wall, which more than likely was Misty's items. As for May's whereabouts, he wasn't fully sure. Until he noticed a strange energy coming from…

"Are… Are you in the closet, May?"

"_N-no…" Gah, I'm so stupid! Why'd I say that?_

"_Um…_ I think Misty kinda' wants you out. I think she wants some private time with her things." Ash had no idea if he was lying or just guessing what Misty had wanted.

…

**Thud.**

…

…

"…_Ash?"_

"…yeah?"

…

"… _I'm stuck."_

Ash couldn't help but laugh.

"_S-Stop laughing! I'm serious!"_

Ash held his laughing with a few remaining snickers. "_Okay_, okay, let me see if I could –"

"_NO!"_ May interrupted. _"I- I mean, no. Call someone else to do it."_

"What's wrong?" Ash grabbed onto one side of the sliding vanity closet. As he started yanking, he started feeling a burst of _shame _and _fear_ coming from inside it.

"_NO ASH!"_ May yelled again. _"You can't see me like this!"_

Ash yanked harder. "May, I can't see!" he said in an irritated manner. More irritated at the door than her forgetfulness.

"_I-I KNOW! B-BUT-!"_

The sliding door un-jammed and slid open faster than he expected it to.

May had come crashing out of the closet. Falling hard on top of Ash.

Ash would have blushed, Ash would've gotten mute, Ash would've done his best to remove this memory from ever happening… if it weren't for the fact that something was seriously _wrong_.

"…you're not May..."

"What do you mean I'm not May? Of course I'm May!"

Ash pushed the girl off his body and stood.

"No… May doesn't smell like that."

In truth, Ash's sense of smell hadn't gotten any better since he first went blind – and in truth, he was somewhat ashamed that he knew what May smelled like up close. Despite those truths, he knew very well _that was __**not**__ how May smelled_. Not just that, but now that this girl was out in the open, he noticed she definitely did not _feel_ like May. May wasn't so… _adjusted_.

His eyes narrowed. "…Duplica?"

"_H-How did-?_ **N-No!** I'm May! See_? Laaa laaa laaaaa~_" her voice was trying hard to achieve the perfect pitch. "I'm _Mayyyy~_!"

"Duplica, what are you doing here?" Ash had enough of these games. It was stressing enough for him to get the courage to knock on the door, even more stressing to enter it, but now confusion was put into play. _What would Duplica be doing in the room? What would Duplica be doing in Pallet Town?_ Ash had felt like he had enough trouble with women as of now – one more was not welcome.

"_Er…_ I _uhm…_"

"And what in the world do we have here…" Misty's presence was suddenly noticed.

"_Hm_? Oh Misty –" Ash was about to explain.

"_H-Hey M-Misty…_" Duplica said with a rather convincing May voice.

"May, get out." Misty stated coldly.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Duplica scrambled to her feet and ran out of the room.

"_M-May? _Misty, that wasn't May!" Ash was shocked at the turn of events. _How could she…? That wasn't…_

"**Right.** So it wasn't May just lying on the floor in front of you."

"**Wh-What?**" Ash wasn't sure if he wanted to know what that would have looked like.

"And it wasn't you and May in this room making a lot of commotion that the entire house could hear."

"**WH-WHAT?**" Ash's face had turned crimson. "_B-But!"_

"Whatever. Just get out of the r–"

_MISTY!_

…

Ash had focused all of his emotions into that single Empathic shout. He wasn't sure how that would affect a human, but normally using that on his pokémon would get them to react faster to his emotions. Whatever it did to Misty, it had made her drop her guard. He could _feel _her again. Her inner feelings – not just the cold treatment she had been forcing on him lately.

_S-Sorry… I was trying to say… that WASN'T May._

Ash felt Misty wanting to_ lash back at him_, to continue_ disbelieving him_ and to_ insult him for thinking she was a fool_. … but she didn't. The empathic lash he stunned her with apparently made her willing to give him a chance. _One chance. That's all he got._

"It was Duplica…"

And that chance was lost.

"Duplica." Misty said with a tone so cold it would've put a charizard in intensive care. "That's the best you've got."

"_I'M NOT LYI–_"

"Hey guys, what's going on?" an unexpected yet extremely welcome voice popped into the room.

"May, I told you to go." Misty stated with the smallest hint of irritation.

"What are you talking about? I've been outside this entire time."

The Cerulean Gym Leader analyzed her position.

…

_So you think you two can play with me? Think that a double-team would really work on me?_ Misty's emotions were no longer cold. They weren't hot either. They were…_ hurt_.

"_What?_ **No!** We're not lying to you! **I'm not lying to you!**" Ash was getting desperate. "Tell her, May! You weren't in this room this_ en–_" he cut himself short, realizing what would happen if she agreed.

May looked between Ash and Misty. "_…what?_"

"_Oh May! Are you leaving already? You haven't had anything to eat yet."_ Delia's voice echoed from the kitchen.

_Thank you!_ Ash cried to fate.

Misty's eyes widened.

May's head tilted.

Before any of them could react, the Cerulean Gym Leader was dashing down the stairs.

"So… _what just happened_?" May stared at Ash oddly.

"_Oh, h-hey Misty! I was just about to l-lea–"_a near-perfect copy of May's voice was silenced.

The real May looked even more confused after hearing the chilling mimic.

She grabbed Ash by the sleeve and hid behind him. "_Do… do you…_ think it's a **doppelganger**?" May had showed _genuine concern _in her tone.

Ash laughed. "_A- A what?_ **N-No!** That's just Duplica."

"Duplica…? What's a duplica?" The news seemed to confuse her more.

Ash grabbed May by the arm and started running for the stairs. "An extinct species if we don't get there in time."

* * *

><p>"So a girl can't just visit when she wants?"<p>

Duplica had been cornered, and was in the process of being interrogated. The house's judge and jury were present.

She eyed each of the girls with a tinge of spite. "With the… _certain_ gathering here, you'd think I'd be more welcome."

"Now, Duplica dear," Delia had started, "you can come and go as you please. But you have to ask permission, and you certainly don't come in dressed as one of the guests. It's quite unsettling."

May stared at her curiously; she found it similar to looking at a mirror. Except, this mirror had something _'off'_ about it. Duplica returned her gaze and gave a mocking smile. Rather than be offended, May had shown fear and stepped behind Ash. _'Unsettling'_ _is right._ she thought to herself.

"And you certainly don't go through their things." Misty added with a growl.

Ms. Ketchum stepped in front of Misty to prevent her from attacking Duplica… like she had just a few minutes ago. "Duplica?" she stared directly into her eyes.

Duplica turned away. "Yeah?"

"Why did you come here? And why are you dressed like May?"

"Honestly, I thought May was leaving today." Duplica admitted.

"_**You were replacing me?**_" May's eyes widened in horror. _She IS a doppelganger!_

Ash calmed May down by pulling her close. …and though that did calm her, it also put the two of them in a very unfamiliar position. Ash tried his best to ignore it, but May's suddenly stiff body was getting warmer by the second.

"That still doesn't answer anything." Misty hissed behind Delia.

…

"Just let me go. I won't bother you anymore, promise." Duplica bargained.

"_Duplica…_" Delia sighed.

"Move aside!" a rough voice rang out as each of the girls were being shoved to the side. "If talking ain't getting anything done, maybe a kick to the face will!" Angie seemed almost too eager to play the bad cop.

Duplica sneered. "I've worn hair pins that hurt more than anything you can do, kid."

"_**K-Kid?"**_ Angie's eye twitched. The role of bad cop would no longer be pretend in a few more seconds.

With a silent nudge, Anabel had moved herself to the front and slid the tomboy out of the way. "Here. Let me try."

"_Wh-What are you–_" Duplica's face turned into uneasiness. There was something about Anabel that frightened her.

Anabel placed one hand on her own chest, and the other on Duplica's. She stared directly into the copycat's eyes.

Duplica twitched as if she wanted to look away, but her limbs would only flinch. Her eyes were completely locked on Anabel's.

…

…

"She wanted to find out about Empathy…" Anabel let go of Duplica and stepped back.

"_Wh-What… What did she-?_" The copycat's tough act fell and became vulnerable in reaction to the Empathy trainer's actions.

She wasn't the only one shocked by the Empathic's power; each person within the room shared equal surprise, but none were more impressed than Ash.

_How… How did you do that?_ He sent to Anabel.

_Remember that I've been an Empathic longer than you have. I may not have been able to learn Empathy as fast as you have, but I certainly still have more experience with it than you do._ Anabel smiled with_ shy pride_. _Being able to read someone's inner emotions without connection is just one of the many skills you can learn after mastering Empathy._

Ash was more than impressed, though he wondered if such a skill was comfortable. He wasn't sure if he would ever want to know a person's innermost feelings if he hadn't made a connection with them first.

"So what does that have to do with any of this?" Misty broke the silence. "Why not just ask?"

"Because she didn't think she could." Anabel turned towards Misty and continued, "She honestly thought asking about Empathy would have gotten her alienated from the group. She didn't seem to want to ruin any friendships by asking."

"What gave her that idea?" Angie curiously threw in her question.

"It might be her experience with Psychics. They don't tend to share their knowledge of psychic powers with strangers." Anabel had her eyes closed, recalling everything she had felt during her moment with Duplica. "More than likely she thought we'd treat her similarly."

"But _why_ all this?" Misty pressed the real question again.

"She–"

"I can talk, too, y'know." Duplica had interrupted Anabel from continuing her deductions.

…

"…go on, dear." Delia motioned her to continue.

With a sigh, the copycat trainer spoke, "Look. I can copy, I can act, I can mimic, and I can pretend. But no matter what I do, I can't_ be_ the person I want to act.

"No matter how much I train; I can't figure out what the person would really think or really feel. I can make assumptions, I can make educated guesses, but I can't ever be sure." Duplica adjusted in her seat to make herself comfortable before explaining more, "And when you're in the theater business, especially an interactive theater business… that can get problematic, especially if you happen to insult a patron."

"Then why –"

"Let me finish. I tried asking Psychics before, but all that did was get me kicked out and locked out – with a few missing patches in my memories. And trust me… sneaking around a Psychic's house would only get you into worse situations.

"Honestly, I don't know what all this _'empathy' _business is. I just saw Ash pulling off some psychic skills during that Tsunami tournament, and I wanted in. I already knew Ash and you guys well enough – and those I didn't, I'd just stalk them until I figured them out." Duplica let out a laugh that sent chills down May's spine.

"I figured, hey, if I could get close enough to the gang, maybe I'd figure out how Ash got his Psychic powers. Because I **KNOW** he didn't have those before…" She had suddenly felt unsure about her statement. "_…right?_"

"I'm not a Psychic." Ash stated plainly.

Duplica stood up. "Taurosflakes you're not! I saw you! Thousands of people saw you! You were commanding your pokémon without even saying a single word!"

She looked around as if to get a testimony from a fellow witness. "I know something's going on. Something after Ash went blind made him get all that psychic wave stuff, right?"

"Is that why you visited my son when he went blind?" Delia seemed offended.

"**What? **No! I didn't even know he turned Psychic then. Was he? … _I was just… well,_ worried. I like Ash, he's a good friend."

_There are way too many good friends these days._ Misty tossed at Ash.

Ash ignored it and walked towards Duplica. "I'm not a Psychic, Duplica. I'm an Empathic."

"A _what_ now?"

"An Empathic," Anabel reentered the conversation, "is one who reads emotions, not minds."

"**Even better!**" Duplica exclaimed. "I can get the _feel_ of people right! Get their _real _attitudes and quirks! And if I teach it to my dittos, we'd definitely create an unforgettable performance!" She was staring off into her own imagination.

"You can't become an Empathic." Anabel crushed her dreams with a factual statement.

"Let me guess… '_it's too great of a responsibility for an amateur to bear_.'" Duplica had made a mocking accent and facial expression to emphasize the _'importance'_ of the phrase. "Hey, I promise I won't abuse it, it's just for my acts!"

"No," Anabel stated factually again, "you, personally, cannot become an Empathic."

"What do I need to do to prove myself?"

"You **don't** prove anything. You're just not… _right_ in your heart to ever become Empathic."

Duplica looked _hurt_. "What's _wrong_ with my heart? Who are_** you**_ to judge?"

"Nothing is wrong, it's just not right. Ash learned to become an Empathic due to his close relationship with his pokémon – and not just the closeness, but the kind of closeness.

"Ash would die for his pokémon if he had to. Ash would be willing to hurt himself if it were to save a pokémon. As long as he breathed, he'd love pokémon. As long as he breathed, he'd do his best for them. He had the right heart. Even May here had the right heart."

May blinked in surprise. Ash seemed as bewildered as she was.

"Not everyone can be an Empathic." Anabel continued, "It takes a certain heart – a certain emotion. A sort of _innocence of the spirit_, to become an Empathic. It isn't that you were _destined_ to never become one, but you yourself would never **want** to change who you are to become one."

Anabel gave a deep sigh. "Tell me – would you lose who you are just for your job?"

"_Well…_" Duplica considered it.

"Even if it meant you couldn't be you anymore? Even if it meant that how you treated your pokémon, how you spent your money, how you viewed others, and how you spent your free time changed? All just to improve your performance?" the Empathy trainer pushed each question in front of Duplica like a challenge.

…

"…_no_. No, I wouldn't." The impressionist surrendered.

"To be an Empathic. You have to be someone, not just pretend to be them." Anabel explained, "If you changed yourself to become an Empathic, you'd change yourself. Much in the same way if you changed yourself to be a Psychic. They look at the world differently because of their powers. Much like Ash and myself do."

"_Then…_ why does he have it now? Why didn't he have it before?"

"Even being the person isn't enough. You have to give yourself to others to become an Empathic. It takes a certain kind of training to become one – much like how Psychics train."

Duplica seemed satisfied. "Ah, _well_, forget it then… sorry to have bothered you al–"

"**No no no**, you're not getting away that easy!" Misty stomped towards her and stared her down.

A few hours ago she might have shown defiance, but at her susceptible state Duplica felt the full effect of Misty's glare. She shook in _fear_.

"_So Duplica…_ **What were you doing with my stuff?**"

"_W-Well…_" Duplica stuttered. "_Y-You write a-about Ash every night in your diary, so I thought I could find what happened to him in th-there…_"

Misty's angered face shifted into shock. Her face turned pink. She had no idea what to say, do, or if she should even move from her position. She was far too embarrassed to even break eye contact with Duplica.

Duplica's hands were shaking as she reached behind her back and produced a pink diary. She gestured it towards Misty. "_H-Here… s-sorry for taking it._"

With a quick snatch, Misty took her diary and stomped back upstairs. She let out a weak **cough** as if to seem distracted by something in her throat rather than what had happened.

…

Everyone seemed to be at a loss for words.

"…_can I go now?_" Duplica squeaked.

"C-Can you..." May moved closer towards her. "_…um… _you know." She motioned at her head.

"**Oh, right!** Sorry about that." The copycat removed her wig and accessories, revealing thick eyebrows and bushy blue hair.

May sighed in relief. Glad that the doppelganger was gone.

"So I can go now, right?" Duplica asked again.

"Go ahead, dear." Delia added. "But you're free to stay for dinner if you want."

The other girls seemed uneasy about the offer. Duplica took notice and shook her head. "No thanks, Ms. Ketchum. I've been gone for too long from my dittos. I have to head back for them."

"Well alright, dear. Take care now." Ms. Ketchum opened the door for her and smiled.

"Thanks Ms. K!" Duplica made a quick exit, hoping to free herself from the awkward situation as soon as possible.

She had almost reached her bike when a voice stopped her in her tracks. _"WAIT!"_

_Oh what now…_ Duplica's shoulders slumped.

"Wait." It was Ash. "I have to ask you something."

"Go ahead, shoot."

"Why go through all that trouble?" Ash asked.

"I thought I already explained that."

"No, I mean…" his voice had become soft. "You're already a great actress. You fooled everyone with your costume, and you almost fooled me with your voice this time around. You're very talented, Duplica. Why risk yourself on something so… _fake_, when you're are a hundred times better without them?"

Duplica tried holding back a blush and kicked Ash in the knee.

"**OW!"**

"And you should quit risking your friendships by being so sweet!"

Duplica sighed, shook her head, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I do it for my work. I love my work. I would risk life and limb for my work and talents. I guess I'm good, but I want to be better. I guess I'm great, but I want to be the best. You'd do the same to be a Pokémon Champion, right?"

"Well _yeah_…"

"Same here. And like you, I wouldn't risk changing who I am for that. It wouldn't be worth it. Nothing's worth losing who you truly are. So I guess I'll quit chasing after those things. …besides, it'll be better for my health and popularity. Those Psychics…" Duplica shrugged. "_…they never forget. _Haha."

"Take care of yourself, Duplica."

"You too, Ash."

The two approached the other and hugged. The hug lasted longer than the two thought it would, but it would be a while since they'd see each other again.

After exchanged pats on the shoulder and repeated goodbyes, Duplica finally rode away from Pallet Town.

_I can't spend my time with "What if"s on you , Mr. Ketchum. You'd be bad for my business…_

* * *

><p>The party was winding down. Food, conversation, and excitement was had and enjoyed.<p>

It would be a few months before May would be able to visit again, the very fact that kept her from leaving the Ketchum Residence immediately.

And despite the party slowing, there were still pockets of entertainment to be had in various portions of the house…

In the dining room, Delia Ketchum was sharing favorite soap operas with Anabel, who had been writing down each title with excited glee.

In the living room, Angie was yelling in anger at the television as Mr. Mime had pulled off a last minute aerial counter to ruin her winning streak.

In Ash's room, a playful Espeon carefully watched a confused Pikachu search underneath piles of clothes in a long-lasting match of hide-and-seek.

And on the staircase, a victor and loser were found. Misty's newest deck had completely destroyed any fight left in May. Her excited gloating had incited the game-exhausted Angie to challenge her to a match.

Misty had obviously accepted, and a new battle was on its way.

May, on the other hand, was horribly disappointed at her loss – as this would be her last card battle in a long time, as the game wasn't popular in Hoenn. _…not that she was the type to challenge random strangers to something as silly as a card game._

She excused herself from the girls' competition and walked out the front door. Needing fresh air and lone time to get lost in her thoughts, May took a deep breath and jogged into the open night air. Her feet shuffled to a stop as she noticed a strange figure huddled in the middle of the dirt path.

It was Ash.

"Hey Ash, what are you doing out here?" she asked with feelings of _curiosity_ and _concern_.

The boy didn't turn her way. His fingers played with the rocks and grass around him as his mind seemed to be somewhere else entirely. "Oh, hey…" was all that came from his mouth.

May walked up to her friend and sat next to him. "Something wrong?"

"Nah, just thinking…"

"Thinking? About what?" May's own thoughts suddenly felt insignificant in the face of Ash's. Ash was never a thinker, and to see him so lost in thought would give anyone the news that something terrible had happened.

"It isn't as bad as you think." He did a quick tilt of his head towards her as if to signify that he was pointing at her own thoughts. "Just a lot of things to think about."

"…like what, exactly?"

"_Well…_"

…

…

"…Ash?"

"_What are you thinking?_"

"_Hm_? I asked you first." May seemed taken aback.

"Well, what I'm thinking about has something to do with what you came out here for." Ash plainly stated. "And I just wanted to know what you really thought about it. Because I really have no idea what to think about any of this."

May was surprised. At times she forgot that Ash could feel her out with Empathy. In a way, that ability still seemed like a myth. To May, only certain people had those kinds of abilities. Special people. People who lived with it all their lives. And to her, Ash didn't feel like those people. …even if it did feel natural for him in his blindness.

"_Um…_" she started. "_I just…_" She thought long and hard what to say next. "I'll miss you."

"You really want it to end like that?" a statement May never expected to come out of Ash's mouth.

"_Wh-What?_"

"You're leaving. For months you'll be gone." Ash's voice seemed to become abnormally serious, "And if you come back and I'm not here?_ If I moved on?_ I'll be gone too. And we won't see each other for years."

She had never thought about it like that. May always thought she would always see Ash again… but the amount of time never seemed like a problem to her. When she'd start missing him, he'd just suddenly appear again, like some kind of miracle to answer her prayer. Then just as quickly as they met, they'd split again.

But that was always okay with her, because they'd meet again. _…right?_

May took one long look at Ash. Despite it feeling like they never aged, they did. The times they spent together were almost as if they had frozen in time, but so much happened. And outside of those moments, time would move again and they'd find each other changing. Ash had changed. May had changed.

To everyone, Ash would always be a 'boy'. Just a 'boy'. But he wasn't. He was just as old as Gary, but Gary was a 'young man' already in everyone's eyes. Yet… Ash was the same age… he just seemed to always stay the same no matter how many years passed.

Her thoughts were fixated on him. This _'Ash Ketchum'_.

Now that she truly looked at him, she realized Ash felt… different. Actually different. Something she would have never noticed because of how much she had gotten used to him.

Ash was blind; he had a strange scar around his eyes – something she rarely noticed whenever she looked at him. He looked older. More mature. For the first time in their years together, she noticed Ash really _did _look like a 'young man'. But his behavior always made him seem eternally young.

Within that moment, May could no longer deny that Ash was aging. And with him, so would she.

_Years is a long time._ And they may not see each other for another five years…_ maybe ten years… maybe never…_ Time continued moving forward. And with every moment they split from one another, the more time seemed to fill before they'd see each other again.

They were growing up. And they would soon grow apart. A thought that had concerned her once or twice that day, but one she had never fully put full focus on. …and it may have been the thought that Ash had buried himself in.

Eventually, they'd have more important things to do other than just hanging out. There'd be no more time for that one day… They'd have other responsibilities, other journeys, other… _relationships…_

May's eyes watered. She remembered that she had dated Drew.

_Why did I? I remember when it was just Ash, me, and the others... it was never about dating or relationships or anything like that. Love could wait. There was too much to do. Love was too distracting…_

…_but I did date Drew… that jerk…_

Her emotions sank into a dark corner of her heart and mind. An area that she blocked off and had forgotten whenever she had spent time with Ash or stood confidently in the Contest stages…

The corner was filled with insecurities, fear, self-loathing, and depression… a deep pit that was only formed after what Drew had done to her…

… _I HATE HIM!_ May slammed her fist into the ground. Her body began to shake.

Ash's arms quickly wrapped around her. Her thoughts vanished in an instant. "_Ash?_"

He answered with a tighter grip.

May blushed softly and relaxed her body.

She felt safe in Ash's arms. As if nothing would change as long as she was with him.

In her mind, Ash was just another boy. She could date him if she wanted.

In her heart, Ash wasn't just any boy. She wasn't sure if she could ever be with Ash in that way. He was a friend. Her foundation when everything else shattered. Because no matter how much the world would change, Ash never would. Ash, her _always friend_.

She laid her eyes on his face. _But he does look different. He just… never really feels different. Ash would always be Ash. No matter how much we change, no matter how much we do, where we go and what we accomplish, he'd still be Ash…_

"…_even with your sight gone…"_ May whispered. _"…even with your Empathy, you're still Ash…"_

"And you're still May." he answered.

Her breath was taken away. The world she had built in the time she had spent away from him had come crumbling down. Despite all she had done and made of herself, despite all that's happened to her, despite all of the barriers she had built up, despite all of the walls she had torn down… Ash still saw her as May. The same May he had travelled with, the same May he had struggled with, the same May. The May that was… fine.

_You really see me, don't you…?_

"_I do…_"

_I thought I changed. I thought I got so much better. So much stronger. But just one look at you makes me feel like I'm back at square one._ A tear ran down May's cheek. _With you still holding my hand as I learn the basics._

"_You have changed. You've changed a lot, May… but you're still you._"

Ash went silent. His mind and thought somewhere else entirely.

For a moment, she had thought she could feel him searching inside her. His emotions flowing and exploring her every crack and passage… for the moment she had imagined it, she had felt perfectly safe… as if he knew how to fix her.

"…_what Drew did to you was horrible. He should have never done that."_

May broke. She turned and clawed at his vest. She started screaming and sobbing, beating into Ash's chest as hot tears rained from her eyes. _**"I – I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM SO MUCH!"**_

Her cries paused. Her hands firmly gripped his shoulders, _strong shoulders_.

Stopping any thought from continuing, May found her lips on Ash's.

…

…

May pulled away. Her eyes and mind in a fuzz. The moment had frozen her every thought, and she could have sworn that she had stopped breathing and that her heart had stopped beating.

But now that she had broken away from it… she felt like she had broken an unbreakable law. Like she had destroyed a barrier she had never thought existed. She had done the impossible… something she should have never done…

She… _kissed Ash._

"…_Ash…_"

"…_May…_"

"… _I'm… sorry._" She leaned her head against his chest. "_I just…_"

His hands slowly ran through her hair. _Ash…_

"_I don't want to change, Ash… I don't want to be away from all this._

"_I want to always be May. The May you see…_

"_I don't like the May out there… she feels alone, she feels scared… she lies to herself and others just to stay sane. She keeps winning just to keep people happy, just to prove she exists._

"_But here… I know I exist here._" Her hand held Ash's. "_You can see me._"

"May…"

"_You don't have to say anything… we don't have to change… not yet… not now… We can just be us. We can just be us for now. I want to remember us like this._"

May sat straight up and smiled. "We'll hold everything off for next time, Mr. Ketchum."

She grabbed his wrist and wrapped her fingers around his. "There will be a next time. I know it. I'll be back. We'll meet again. You'll still be Ash. And I'll still be May. …but for now, we have to do what we promised ourselves we would do, _right_?"

Ash smiled at her. "_Right._"

With a pat on his shoulder, May stood and helped Ash up. "Can you help me with the bags when the taxi gets here?"

"Sure thing." Ash cracked his back and loosened his legs, trying to rid of the dull pain that was running through them. "And… _May?_"

Her heart skipped a beat. "_Yeah?_"

"You can do it."

May admired Ash's face one more time before answering. "You can too, Ash."

The two walked into the house in silence and were greeted with invitations to the last songs of a karaoke game.

Ash and May sang, played, and competed throughout the rest of the night. Not as a boy and girl that had a moment, but as Ash and May – friends that had more than just a moment in time together.


	9. Chapter 9 Pride

"**Ash, Ash, Ash** – _that's all anyone ever talks about these days._" Angie commented nonchalantly to the branches above.

"So what happened that night doesn't concern you _whatsoever_?" Anabel gave an irritated look at her disinterested friend.

It had been four days since May's leaving, and it was the last day Anabel could keep what she had seen that night to herself. Angie and Anabel were walking down a quiet path that led to dead end after dead end. Where they were going mattered little to them. _'Away from the rest'_ was the only destination Anabel was aiming for.

"_Of course_ I care!" Angie pulled out a toothpick from her pocket and began chewing it. "_But what the heck am I supposed to do about it_? Yell at Ash over a kiss that you saw while spying on him?"

"Ash kissed May! **Doesn't that upset you at all?**" Anabel had known Angie was upset, but at _who_ was her question.

"_No_, as I recall, you said May forced that kiss on him."

"He may as well have! He had been _intimate_ in their time _alone_!" The Empathic seemed confused at the tomboy's reluctance of being disappointed in Ash. "If those points don't make it se–"

Angie raised her hand in front of Anabel's face to stun her. The hand turned to a grip and a single finger pointed directly at her chest. "**Hey hey hey**, just because Ash wants to comfort some girl who had a stupid boyfriend and a stupid break up – doesn't make him some flirt."

"You really believe that?" Anabel raised a brow. "This isn't just _'some girl'_, this is _May _we're talking about. They spent_ years_ on the road together."

"**I know who we're talking about!**" She stepped in front of Anabel and crossed her arms. Her face was serious. "What I think is going on is that you're being crazy and blame Ash for what May did because you're upset and don't know what to do with yourself."

Anabel wanted to strike her for _her insolence_. But that emotion only revealed to her that the tomboy was right.

_Except…_

"So you're not upset? Whatsoever? That Ash's possibly _first_ kiss was taken by her?"

Angie shook in anger and punched the nearest tree, branches and leaves falling in bundles. Anabel had taken a step back in shock, having no idea that the scrawny tomboy had that kind of strength in her. Even when they were tearing each other's hairs out, Angie had never shown anything close to this kind of muscle.

"**OF COURSE I'M UPSET!"** Angie had cried out as she landed another punch into the tree. **"WHY WOULDN'T I BE?"**

The green haired girl turned swiftly and glared at Anabel with a death stare. "If I had known what that hussy did to him before she left, I would've _STRANGLED HER_!"

Despite this being the response that Anabel had been waiting for, it had far outclassed her own emotions. To say she was absolutely frightened of Angie at this moment would have been an understatement.

Angie fell to her knees and blew at her knuckles repeatedly, letting out a howl of agony as her senses fully registered the pain she should have felt from her first punch.

"…_you okay?_" Anabel carefully asked.

After rubbing away a tear, the tomboy stood and straightened her back. "_Yeah, yeah_." She cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders. "It doesn't matter anyway. May's gone. She might be gone for a year or more, depending on how big those Contests get this year.

"Besides, she was probably just acting out her emotions. Some of you dainty girls would kiss the nearest guy if you felt a bit of heartbreak running through you."

Anabel wasn't sure if she should have felt insulted from that… unsure if it was an ignorant stereotype or a self-comforting joke. She blinked the offense away and responded, "And Ash?"

"What about him?"

"…_I dunno… _doesn't knowing this make him feel…_ less special_?" Anabel had been struggling with this question for the past few days.

Folding her hands behind her head and walking with an air of carelessness, Angie growled back, _"You really that shallow?"_

"**Shallow?"**

"Yeah, _shallow_." She gave an uninterested look towards Anabel. "If all it takes for you to lose interest in Ash is some girl getting a first kiss on him, then you're shallow. Way I see it, some people can be called shallow for being too crazy for looks, and other people can be called shallow for being too crazy for _'fate'_ and _'purity'_ and stuff like that. The person you love is the person you love, no matter who or what does what or why to them. Why get so concerned over those little details when you're just missing out on what really matters?"

The Empathic showed complete confusion. While she was insulted, she couldn't help but feel that Angie was correct yet again. Though she didn't want to give her credit – as she knew there had to be some flaw in the argument.

"I think Ash is worth fighting for." Angie continued. "If you think the war's over just because someone raised their flag over one town, then you're pathetic."

"**Pathetic?"**

"Yeah, **pathetic**. We going to keep playing this definition game or do you know what pathetic means?"

Anabel stomped her foot hard into the ground beneath her. "I am **not** pathetic! I never said I was giving up on Ash! I just…"

"– wanted to blame him for letting another girl kiss him even though you're not even dating him yet." Angie finished for her.

"I…"

…

Anabel sighed in defeat. "You're right. I am just being immature about this. It doesn't change anything."

"Oh, it changes something all right."

"_Hm_?"

"It changes the fact that if I ever see May again: I'm going to pop that lip of hers!"

Anabel laughed.

Despite Angie being a rival in this little war, she was the only friend that she could confide in about her feelings for Ash. While she was well aware that she could have whispered these aggressions to her pokémon, it was far better to get an opinion from someone who had something invested in all this. Angie never had to answer, she never had to even allow her to talk about this, but she still did because of their friendship. And she was grateful for that.

"Hey Angie?"

"_Mm_?" She had found another toothpick to chew on.

"Thank you. You didn't have to… you know… _any_ of this."

"Darn right I didn't. But hey, at least I know what I'm up against. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"Wise saying."

"But I'd probably team up with May too, to go against you."

"…_gee_, thanks."

"You're welcome."

As they turned to return home, Angie had said something that Anabel would never forget…

"Remember that this is all about what's best for Ash. We really shouldn't be fighting just because we want him for ourselves… we should be doing this because we think we're the best for him. As far as I can tell, the only thing you girls would offer Ash is a headache. Until he gets someone he really deserves, I'm keeping all of you off him."

…

"_Same here."_ Anabel agreed quietly.

* * *

><p>"Where are those two going?" Misty asked as she saw Anabel and Angie heading out the door.<p>

Ash shrugged.

_You know something, don't you?_ Misty sent an emotion towards Ash.

Ash just sent a_ shrug _in emotion in return.

"You **DO** know something!" Misty pointed at him in accusation and jumped onto the couch cushion next to him.

Ash remained emotionless and shook his head.

A feeling of _panic _ran through his body as Misty's fingers jabbed themselves into his armpits. "_Nng!_" Ash blocked a laugh from releasing.

"Tell me." Misty dug her fingers in deeper.

"_MM-MM!_" He started kicking at her direction.

"_Telll meee_." Misty started moving her fingers in different directions. "Tell me and this will _all_ be over."

A burst of laughter rung out. Ash struggled pathetically to get Misty's hands away from him.

In response, she had jumped on top of him and started striking her fingers in different parts of his body. He defended himself by rolling over and curling up.

But it only a few more seconds to make him break. _**"STOP! STOP! STOP! I'LL TELL YOU! I'LL TELL YOU!"**_

She let go and gave him room to breathe.

He had taken that opportunity to roll off the couch and make a run for it.

Misty immediately dived and grabbed his ankle.

"_**AH! NO!"**_

She pulled his foot closer and started tickling it ruthlessly. "Start talking!"

_ANABEL KNOWS SOMETHING!_ Ash shouted with his emotions due to his body rejecting to exhale anything other than a laugh.

Misty stopped and twisted Ash's leg into a lock. "_Oh?_ And what does she know?"

"_**I…**_ I don't know." Ash was gulping breaths of air.

The break was short, as Misty continued to tickle the boy into frantic bouts oflaughter and shouts.

_I PROMISE! I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW!_

"Even if you didn't know, this is just too fun to sto–" A foot in the face had prevented Misty from completing her sentence.

She grabbed her face in reaction.

"**Misty?**" Ash had sat up and grabbed her shoulders after realizing what he had done. "_I'm sorry!_ I didn't mean to hit you!" He was well aware that the two have caused quite the number of bruises and scrapes on one another in their time together in recent events, but neither of them had done so without intention.

Misty blinked a few tears away. She was about ready to yell and insult him.

A touch on the face stopped her in her tracks. Ash was carefully running his fingers across her skin to feel if there were any marks or misshapes. Misty's face turned red.

"_Oh._" Ash pulled back his hands in response to her emotions.

They sat quietly facing each other.

"_So…_" Ash decided to avoid a prolonged silence. "…what are you planning to do today?"

"I dunno." Misty shrugged. "Am I supposed to do something today?"

"_No… no_. I was just wondering if you were busy."

"Asking me out on a date?" Misty winked at him. He didn't see it, but certainly _felt_ it.

"_N-N-No…_ I was wondering if you'd want to help me get somewhere."

"Get somewhere?"

"Yeah, there's an unofficial Pokémon Tournament happening a few miles out of town."

Misty was suddenly interested. "Do you want to compete?"

Ash stood and sat on the ledge of a table. "_Nah_, I'm already too late to sign up. I just want to watch."

"…watch?"

"Oh, well, I guess… _feel_ is more specific." Ash clarified. "I just heard about this tournament on the news, and wanted to see if I could train my Empathy."

"You can train by just watching?"

"I'd think so. I actually haven't watched too many matches between pokémon with my Empathy."

"Do you know where it is exactly?" Misty asked as she stood up and started searching for her purse.

"Not really, I just know its name. I was hoping you could look it up on the computer."

She was about to head up the stairs before she realized something. "What about Anabel and Angie?"

"Actually, the tournament's at least halfway done at this point, so there's not much time left…" Ash's voice trailed off, as if he had more to say.

"…and?"

"…and I think whatever Anabel knew, she didn't want me to find out. So I don't think she'll want to come along – and I doubt she'd want us to ask Angie since she's talking to her."

_I wonder what they knew…_ Misty thought to herself.

_I wish I knew too._ Ash agreed.

They shrugged in unison.

Misty ran up the stairs to print out directions.

"_By the way!"_ she called from the second floor. _"You never told me what the name of the tournament was!"_

Ash had _panicked_ when he thought he had forgotten. Thankfully a sleepy pikachu passing by remembered. _"…pika pika…"_

…

"It's the Fist of Kanto Tournament!"

* * *

><p><em>The crowd was large. Larger than anticipated for a small, unofficial tournament. People of all types and kinds were here. Some were even mothers and officers. They all shared in something in common: They all loved Fighting Pokémon.<em>

This was what Ash _saw _as Misty pulled him through the masses to find a clearing. The energies that _spiked _and _flared_, the feelings that were _tough _and _solid_, the emotions that were_ strong_ and _resolute_ – they resembled a valley of canyons and mountains. In addition to that, there were Fighting Type Pokémon of all sorts and breeds standing beside their trainers. Many were _eager _to see where the matches would lead, many were _hungry to learn_ a new attack from watching the fights, and many more believed they _deserved _to be in the ring.

Ash had no idea how he would be able to see any matches in this powerful environment.

"Relax Ash. There's a big opening up ahead, you'll see everything just fine." Misty responded to his confused emotions.

Even in an open area Ash doubted he'd be able to focus on a fight with all thes– _RAAAAAAAAAAAAAA_

**SMASH**

Any doubt he had in seeing the fight was gone. The Fighting Pokémon in the ring were _fierce_ and _enormous _in energy. Their _will _and _confidence_ stood dominant above every other emotion in the area. Their roar even bursting through their emotions.

"_**WRAAAAAAAAAAATH!"**_

"_**MAAAAA!"**_

Two massive pokémon had locked grips, their fury sending chills down Ash's spine.

"_You can do it!"_

"_Take down that Machoke!"_

"_Poliwrath, you got this!"_

"_Don't lose it! Don't lose your balance!"_

There were no announcers, no speakers of any kind, and no narration of the match. The only thing heard were the shouts and howls coming from the audience.

_This isn't a tournament… this is a brawl…_ Misty seemed uncomfortable.

_I guess that's the way Fighting Pokémon enthusiasts like it._ Ash replied.

_I guess, but… it stinks. Don't these people take showers?_

Ash laughed, though he definitely smelled what she smelled. He took a deep breath to avoid the stench.

_Let's just find a nice spot to stand, Misty._

The two of them squeezed between and bumped into several people in their journey to the last remaining open area in the tournament. Smells of every kind of sweat was starting to suffocate the air from the duo. Before Ash had to gasp for one more breath of air, he had grabbed Misty by the arms and used her as a shield to ram through the last remaining people blocking them from their destination.

They had broken out and rolled into the opening. Both were **gasping** for air.

"If I wasn't glad for the fresh air, _I'd kill you_, Ash!" Misty coughed the words out.

"Yeah, well–" _Hm?_

Ash focused on the creature standing in front of him.

Something about it seemed_ familiar_. _Extremely familiar_. But he couldn't tell _what_.

The creature seemed _curious _of him as well. It had bent down and sniffed him heavily with its large nostrils. "…prime?"

Ash's ears twitched.

"…Primeape?"

"**PRIME!**" The pokémon had immediately recognized its former master's voice and lifted him up for a colossal hug. "PRIMEAPE! PRIME!"

"_GAAHHH!_ OKAY! **OKAY!**" Ash tried fruitlessly to free himself from the furry fighter. "_I CAN'T BREATHE!_"

"It's you!" a strangely _unfamiliar_ voice exclaimed.

Primeape had released the boy and stepped aside.

As Ash gasped for air for a second time, he tried to analyze the person who had recognized him.

…

_No idea…_

"You're Ash Ketchum, correct?" the voice being feminine Ash finally pointed out.

"Y-Yeah. _Um…_ Who are you?" he asked embarrassingly.

Misty elbowed him in the rib. _ASH!_

_What? I DON'T know who she is!_

_Don't you remember?_

_I can't see her! Do YOU know who she is?_

_Yes! She's… uh… uhm…_

…

_Ha! You don't remember either! _Ash laughed to himself.

"Oh yes, it has been a long time since we last met. I'm Rebecca." The woman replied simply, with a soft giggle to give an accent of friendliness.

"…Rebecca?"

"My father's name is Anthony. The one who trained your primeape."

Ash stood up straight and smiled. "**Right!** Where is your father?"

"In the Johto region. He and Hitmonchan are competing in several tournaments there while Primeape and I watch over his training gym."

"Nice to meet you again, Rebecca!" Misty chimed in happily.

_Don't pretend like you didn't know her._ Ash nudged his elbow at Misty.

_I didn't forget who she was. I just didn't remember her name. _She nudged back.

_I can't see, so it isn't fair!_

_Can't you feel out her name or something?_

_What? That's like trying to find a squirtle in a volcano!_

_How is that even a proper example?_

The red-haired woman stared at them curiously as the two exchanged strange facial expressions.

"Nice to meet you again…" she hesitated. "_…um… I… _I apologize, I forgot your name."

Misty fell over in reaction.

She slowly wobbled back to a standing position. "Oh that's okay. My name's Misty. The Cerulean City Gym Leader."

"Oh right." Rebecca laughed nervously. "I'll admit I don't know much about Gyms other than the ones that have Fighting Pokémon in them."

_Then how did she remember your name?_ Misty expressed jealousy.

"To be honest…" Rebecca explained. "I only remembered Mr. Ketchum's name because of his face being all over the news recently."

…_did she just hear me?_ Misty poked Ash's shoe with her own.

_Nah, coincidence._

_How can you tell?_

_Empathics feel different. She's definitely not one._

Rebecca witnessed the two exchanging more facial expressions. "…are… are you two okay?"

Misty realized how odd the two of them must have looked and gave a nervous laugh.

"So are you here to watch the tournament, Rebecca?" Ash changed the subject.

"Me? No. We're here to compete." she answered with pleasure.

The Empathic crouched down and ran his fingers through Primeape's fur. "You here to win, buddy?"

"_PRIME!"_ it responded in a sure tone.

"I don't mean to be rude, Rebecca…" Misty politely stated. "But why are you competing here? This hardly seems like the kind of place your dad would normally compete in."

"Well actually, we're just here to advertise." she clarified. "For every win we get, my dad's gym gets more popular. And honestly, I want to surprise my dad by how big his gym will be once he gets back."

"That's pretty cool." Ash complimented.

"You'll make your dad proud." Misty admired.

"Thanks!" Rebecca bowed. "Honestly I'm just glad I got this far in the tournament."

"Hm?" Misty's head tilted. "What place are you in?"

"_**WILL THE FINALISTS PLEASE ENTER THE RING."**_ a referee had shouted.

"Looks like that's me. It was nice meeting the two of you again!"

Rebecca had turned and ran towards one corner.

Primeape puffed out his chest and marched towards the ring.

"You can do it Primeape!" Ash cheered.

"PRIME!"

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>IN THE RED CORNER,"<strong>_ the referee shouted above the cheers and jeers with no need of a device. _**"WE HAVE REBECCA FROM THE FIGHTING SPIRIT GYM! AND HER POKÉMON PRIMEAPE! THE FIST OF FURY!"**_

"_Wooo! Rebecca! Do it, baby!"_

"_Show that foreigner how we do it in Kanto!"_

"_Primeape! Primeape! Primeape! Primeape!"_

"_Take that freak out!"_

"_You can do it, Rebecca!"_

Rebecca blushed as she stood in her corner and waved to the crowd.

"_**IN THE BLUE CORNER, WE HAVE MAYLENE! A GYM LEADER ALL THE WAY FROM THE SINNOH REGION!"**_

"**Wha-?"** Ash quickly leaned towards the ring at the announcement.

_I guess that boy has met this girl before. _Rebecca thought to herself. _Then I better be extra careful._

"_**WITH HER POKÉMON LUCARIO! THE BLUE LEGEND!"**_ the referee finished.

"_Get out of Kanto!"_

"_BOOOOOOOOO!"_

"_Look at how scrawny that chick is! Do they breed you like that where you come from?"_

"_You're going down, blue freak!"_

"_REBECCA TAKE HER DOWN!"_

The pink haired girl shyly walked into her corner. Despite having come to the tournament with a strong, confident disposition, her personality had slowly dwindled with the constant barrage of insults. Her pokémon seemed to also be affected by this, as he hopped into his corner with a defensive growl towards the crowd.

"The poor girl…" Rebecca had pitied Maylene throughout the entire tournament. Though the young woman had faired greatly in every match she was placed in, the Kanto citizens seemed to absolutely revile her due to her foreign origins.

"**YOU CAN DO IT, MAYLENE!"** a voice shouted above the rest.

The somber girl suddenly perked up and looked around the crowd to find the single, cheering voice. Her face brightened up the instant she saw Ash balancing on top of a trashcan, waving. She and her pokémon waved back ecstatically before facing the center of the arena with renewed vigor.

_Well that's a pleasant change._ Rebecca smiled towards her opponent.

Her brows turned serious as she prepared herself for the battle to come_. Alright Rebecca, you can do this. Just do it like how daddy taught you. Keep them off-balance. Don't let them get a chance to return the favor. Remember the basics and never forget to focus._

"Let's do this, Primeape!" She spurred her pokémon into battle-ready behavior.

"_**LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"**_

**DING.** The battle bell rang.

"Primeape! Low Kick!"

Rebecca's first command instantly clicked Primeape into attack mode. The ball of fury charged towards the opponent with rage in its eyes. A quick step to halt his momentum and a thrust downwards with its kick, the Primeape launched its first assault.

"Lucario! Dodge it!" the trainer in the blue corner yelled out.

The blue jackal went aerial and landed behind the Pig Monkey Pokémon.

Primeape snorted in anger and turned to face the dodging enemy.

"Lucario! Bone Rush!"

Lucario formed a glowing blue light into the shape of a bone and swung it towards Primeape.

"Primeape! Take the hit!"

Arms flung inward as Primeape blocked the attack right before it hit home.

"Keep at it Lucario!"

Strike after strike exploded against Primeape's arms, pushing its fury into greater heights with every hit. Its anger had shown visibly as its fur started glowing red and fumes leaving its every open pore.

_Just what Rebecca was looking for._ "Primeape! NOW! **REVENGE!**"

Maylene was surprised by the command – just as the red haired woman wanted. Rebecca had been hiding this attack just for the last round. She'd have this match _over in one blow._

Primeape's eye glinted. _**"PRIIIIIIIMEEE!" **_It swung its arm back in a quick snap, and swung forward at an impossible speed.

"Lucario! Block it!" Maylene shouted in a panic.

"_Too late."_ Rebecca whispered to herself.

The shining bone grew in size as Lucario held it firmly in front of himself.

**CRACK.** The bone gave way and shattered into pieces. The furious monkey's fist torpedoed through and smashed against the lucario's jaw. Even with all his strength and defiance fueling his consciousness, he had lost it only seconds after the attack's contact.

Several onlookers had panicked as they saw the incoming pokémon being launched towards them. All within the way of its trajectory had scrambled frantically in different directions. Lucario had flown out of the ring and smashed through several makeshift audience seats and benches, finally grinding to a halt against the hard dirt's rocks. It was knocked out immediately, a pair of spirals replacing its once serious eyes.

"One of my dad's best lessons…" Rebecca stated proudly across the arena. "Always keep your opponent guessing."

Cheers and roars rang all around.

"_**WITH A TOTAL OF 10 KO'S AND ZERO LOSSES IN THIS TOURNAMENT – AND VICTOR OF THE LAST MATCH WITH ONLY TWO ATTACKS – PRIMEAPE AND REBECCA!"**_

Waves of excited spectators rushed towards the ring and picked Rebecca off her feet.

"_Whoah now!_" She nearly toppled over in surprise.

"_**REBECCA! REBECCA! REBECCA! REBECCA! REBECCA!**__"_ her carriers chanted loudly.

"_**KANTO! KANTO! KANTO! KANTO! KANTO! KANTO!**__"_ followers recited along proudly.

"_**PRIMEAPE! PRIMEAPE! PRIMEAPE! PRIMEAPE! PRIMEAPE!**__"_ a larger crowd had lifted Primeape off the arena floor and tossed it upwards along with their cheers.

Rebecca scanned the area and found Ash kneeling next to the knocked out lucario.

"ASH!" she called out as she was being bounced away by a wave of hands and forearms. "I'LL RETURN YOUR PRIMEAPE AFTER MY FATHER COMES BACK FROM HIS JOURNEY!"

"_Don't worry about it!"_ she barely heard as a response.

She had smiled back and waved.

It was at that moment she remembered why she was there in the first place. She raised her arms and yelled out, "**AND REMEMBER FOLKS! THE FIGHTING SPIRIT GYM TRAINS CHAMPIONS!**"

_This should be good enough for advertising. Dad will be in for a surprise._ She giggled to herself.

* * *

><p>"At least he's still alive." Ash concluded after the downed lucario had <strong>groaned <strong>in pain.

"Pretty surprising considering the hit your primeape gave him." Misty mentioned as she helped it sit up.

**Paf Paf Paf Paf Paf Paf Paf.** A pair of bare feet was heard quickly running over to them.

Ash turned towards the sound and was about to respond.

"_**HeyAsh! Excusemethankyou!**_" Maylene ran in and grabbed Lucario's back to help it on its feet. "You okay, Lucario?"

Lucario **grunted **and shifted its weight.

"Here, rest up." She leaned her pokémon against a broken bench and gave it a small snack to chew on.

Maylene sighed in _disappointment _and _relief_.

…

"We did our best." She smiled.

"Wish I was here to see your other matches." Ash said with regret in his tone.

"Oh yeah…" Maylene turned and faced the two. "When did you get here, Ash? And who's your friend?" she nudged her head towards Misty.

Ash smiled and introduced Misty, "This is Misty, Gym Leader of Cerulean City."

"_Ah!_ A fellow Gym Leader!" She held out her hand. "Nice to meet you. Maylene of Veilstone City."

"Nice to meet you too." Misty shook her hand. Her eye twitched in pain as she realized Maylene's grip was a lot stronger than she expected from such a thin girl.

"I got here right before your match with Rebecca." Ash answered a previous question.

"Just in time for you to see Lucario and I get completely blown away I see." Maylene's laugh was of _embarrassment_ and _shame_.

"What are you doing all the way out here, anyway?" he asked curiously. It had been a question that had been bugging him since she was first announced by the referee.

"Competing, of course!" she answered as if that was the only answer.

"That's not what I meant. I mean, here in Kanto." _Is she hiding something?_

"Oh that. Well… _wait a minute…_ what are_ YOU_ doing here in Kanto?"

"I'm from here."

"_Ahh._ Visiting home?"

"S-Something like that…" Ash laughed awkwardly.

Maylene leaned back in surprise and placed her hands on her waist. "_Whoah Ash!_ When did you get colored eye contacts?"

"_Um–"_

"They look weird. You might want to go for a different color."

"_Ms. Maylene…_" Misty interrupted, unable to allow the awkward comments to continue. "Those aren't eye contacts. _Ash is blind._" she stated the last part in a hushed tone.

"_**WHAT?"**_ Maylene suddenly felt _ashamed_ and _shocked_. "_I – I'm sorry!_ _**When did this happen?**_"

* * *

><p>"<em>Wow…"<em> Maylene and her lucario were sitting at full attention, both with complete interest in their eyes. "…you guys went through a lot lately!"

Ash scratched at his hair, embarrassed. "Yeah, definitely."

"_One thing I don't get…_" Maylene tilted her head in _confusion_. "…if Ash was in Sinnoh during the accident, how did he end up in Kanto?"

"Well the thing is… _no wait…_" Ash's eyes widened when he realized he was at a loss of words. "**Wait…** how _**did**_ I end up in Kanto?"

Misty **sighed**. "You were transferred from hospitals by helicopter. You said it in your story yourself."

"_OHHH!_ _**That's**_ what the helicopter was all about!" Ash laughed.

Misty sighed again. "What else would it be?"

"I guess I just thought Anabel was rich." He shrugged.

"How would you figure that?"

"_Well…_ she was a Frontier Brain… I figured that Gym Leaders, Frontier Brains, and other officials in the Pokémon League were rich?"

Misty was about to scold Ash for a completely unfounded assumption, considering she herself wasn't _'rich'_, when she was cut off by Maylene's extremely loud laughter.

"**AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!"**

Ash was stunned by the reaction, especially with his Empathy, as he felt a burst of_ laughter _and _cries_ coming from the young gym leader.

"_Is… Is something funny?_" Ash nervously asked.

Maylene patted her stomach. "This small stomach isn't from a tough training diet. I'm actually _quite_ poor." Maylene laughed again, and Ash could now obviously feel the_ depressed_ tone in it. Her lucario seemed quite_ ashamed_ of their financial situation.

"_Hold on,_ if you're poor… how did you get to Kanto?" Misty questioned cautiously.

"I walked."

"_**You walked?"**_

"I walked." Maylene giggled with a hint of_ pride_.

"That's_ weeks'_, maybe _**months'**_, worth of walking!" Misty was completely _floored_ by Maylene's answer.

"It wasn't easy. And the odd job here and there definitely kept me in some towns longer than I wanted to be." she admitted. "But you gotta' do what you gotta' do."

Ash had been feeling out the Fighting Gym Leader's emotions and had noticed _one that was larger than the rest_. It had been noticeable since he had finished his story, and it was only growing _louder_. "Er… Maylene?"

"_Hm_?" she blinked curiously.

"…Would you like to come over to my house for dinner?"

Maylene's eyes widened and sparkled. "_**REALLY?**_"

Ash was swallowed by _a pit of unending thankfulness_.

_Help me…_ he reached out with his emotions to Misty as he felt utterly _overwhelmed_.

She blinked at him oddly and immediately ignored him. "Of course!" she smiled to the fellow Gym Leader.

Both Lucario and Maylene bowed deeply on their knees. "_**OH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! WE'LL PAY YOU BACK IN FULL! **_Right, Lucario?"

Lucario nodded with a very pleased smile.


	10. Chapter 10 Clashes

_Another girl? Really?_ Anabel calmly sipped her soup with an irritated emotion directed at Ash.

_She was hungry._ Ash responded as he chewed on his bread nervously.

_You know what they say: You feed them once and they'll follow you home._ Misty drank her coffee quietly.

Anabel almost laughed, but disguised it as a cough.

Maylene was having the time of her life. Plate after plate of thick meats, soft breads, steaming vegetables, and melting desserts surrounded her side of the table. Foods of all kinds mixed and swallowed with little care for complimentary and clashing flavors.

"_Mmmrphuff!"_ Maylene had repeated again. It was the tenth unintelligible exclamation she had made as she stuffed her face. Those who sat at the dining table assumed it had to do something about the food… though they'd never be able to tell.

Despite both Anabel and Angie feeling quite annoyed at the new guest, Ash seemed to be the most affected. Maylene's _extremely __**loud**__ personality_ was flooding the room with emotions of _jubilation_, _love_, and _happiness_. Ash was increasingly getting fatigued by being surrounded by it. Anabel was successful at shutting it out, an ability Ash seriously wished that he had at the moment.

"**My my**," Delia cheerfully said as she and Mr. Mime placed more food on the table, "your friend certainly likes to eat, Ash!"

Ash was too dizzied at this point to respond.

Maylene grabbed her large mug of juice and gulped down everything in her mouth. "**THIS FOOD IS DELICIOUS!**" she cheered loudly, crushing Ash underneath more _weight_ of emotion.

"I'm so glad you like it!" Delia squealed in _delight_ as she watched the girl devour more food.

"So _Maylene_…" Anabel said with an almost _poisonous_ accent of her name. "What brings you here to Kanto?"

"**I came here to train!**" she answered loudly before she took another bite of brownie.

"I thought you said you were a Gym Leader." Angie tilted her head in confusion. "Why train? And why here?"

Maylene pounded her chest to force it to swallow another clump of bread. She exhaled with_ satisfaction_ before explaining, "Us gym leaders need to constantly train in order to keep ahead of the trainers that keep challenging us. Right, Misty?"

Misty nodded as she tasted her coffee with _interest_. She seemed less concerned about the frustration and excitement the pink-haired Gym Leader gave to the dining table, and more concerned at figuring out the flavor of the coffee she was drinking. Her only other interest was of Ash's _suffering_, which she found amusing at times.

"So yeah, I came here to train!"

"But why so far from your home?" Anabel questioned what they had all been curious of.

"_Hm?_" Maylene looked around her, realizing they were all attentive to this specific answer. …except for Ash, who looked as if he was ailing from a stomach ache. "I… just needed to get away from that place for a while. _Kind of a personal reason._"

"But don't you have duties to your Gym? Wouldn't being all the way out here become problematic to your region's Pokémon League?" Misty asked.

"_Oh,_ that's the convenient part. They're trying something new for a season in the Sinnoh region with the main Gyms. _So…_" She chomped off another slab of meat and swallowed hard. "…my gym's under construction. I should be good for another month before I go back."

_Oh God no… please leave…_ Anabel sighed to herself as she massaged her forehead.

She was ready to _dive deep_ into Maylene's emotions to find out her real reason for leaving Sinnoh, but Ash had sensed it and _stopped_ her in her tracks.

The male Trainer was _drained_, _exhausted_, _irritated_, and _weak_… but he had enough focus to block off anything Anabel wanted to _pry into_.

_Hm? What?_ she asked Ash.

_That's rude._ he replied simply.

_I just don't want her staying here._

_She's a guest._

_You going to invite the whole world in here? _Anabel pushed, with a strange accent that Ash could've sworn that she had learned from Angie.

_She'll be gone after this meal._

_She better be._ Anabel pouted.

Misty slowly became more _amused _at the irritation growing between the two girls. She herself had no problem with Maylene. In her eyes, she seemed like a nice enough girl. And even without Empathy she could tell she had no interest whatsoever in Ash.

_Good enough for me. _She smirked.

* * *

><p><strong>Knock knock knockknockknock knock.<strong>

_Oh no…_ Ash wrapped a pillow around his head.

**Knock knocknocknocknock knock.**

…

**Knock knock knock knock knockknocknockknock.**

He grit his teeth in frustration and sat up.

"_I don't think he's in there."_ a voice from outside echoed off his door.

"_Knock harder. He's just a little deaf."_ another voice that seemed _extremely humored_ by this situation echoed further away.

"_Are you sure? I thought he was blind."_

"_No, no, just knock harder."_

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.** _"Ash?"_

Ash knew_ perfectly well _who it was. He couldn't ignore her _loud personality_.

And he certainly knew _who was encouraging her_ to do this. _Misty. She thinks it's hilarious. Ha. Ha._

With a groan he stood up and shuffled to the door in surrender.

He opened the door, only to have Maylene stumble into his chest. She had been leaning her ear on the door.

"_Whoops!" _She backed away immediately.

"**I'm not deaf, Misty!"** Ash shouted around Maylene.

"_Oh silly me."_ Misty giggled and walked back downstairs.

"Hey Ash!" Maylene smiled with a burst of _unneeded happiness_.

"_Hey Maylene…_" Ash rubbed his forehead. "I thought you left to find more tournaments."

"Well yes." she agreed. "Well actually." She decided to retract her comment. "I stayed for a while to talk with Misty first. It's always fun to talk to other Gym Leaders."

"The light purple-haired girl, she's Anabel." Ash pointed out. "She's the Frontier Brain I talked about. You can talk to her too." he mentioned, hoping to bait Maylene to go somewhere else. Then a thought hit his head…

…_wait, now that I think about it, what is__** Anabel **__still here for? Doesn't she have duties back at Hoenn? I need to remember to ask her._

"_Oh… well…_ I don't know what a Frontier Brain is." Maylene shrugged. "Is that like a Gym Leader?"

"Yeah, kind of." Ash had no idea if he wanted to explain more, as any further discussion might involve more questions from her.

…

…

"…did you come here for something?" Ash asked after realizing Maylene's attention had been absorbed at her _fascination_ with items in his room.

"Oh right! Well, I was talking with Misty. Just to get all the small details about your journey up to this point." she was rambling almost too fast for him to understand.

_Must have been all the sweets she ate._ Ash assumed. The Maylene he knew was far more calm and mature. After a thought, he realized that her comment of being poor might have had a large impact on her diet… which may have explained why she had become so energetic after the meal.

"First off, you're awesome, cool stories. Next off, and more importantlyy**yyy**–" Maylene was now drumming her fingers on his chest. Ash had no idea why she was drumming her fingers on his chest.

With a quick **slap** on his chest as the final tap of her imagined drums, she continued, "I heard the play by play of your matches without pokémon! With**OUT **pokémon and you still **won**! You're **crazy**! I've fought pokémon before, of course you know that, but I've never done it as a real challenge!"

"…_wait wait_… how does Misty know about those fights?"

"She heard the details from May, who heard of the other battle's details from Angie, who was there in your match against Anabel."

…

"…_is that it?_" Ash scratched his cheek. He gave up trying to block out her emotions. _He didn't know how, and he more than likely wasn't going to find out anytime soon._

"Oh right. _Welllllll–_" She began drumming her fingers again on his chest.

_Reminder… don't overfeed Maylene._ Ash noted.

"**I wanted you to have a match with me!"** she stated _excitedly_.

Normally Ash would've loved a Pokémon Match, but his headache had made him rather uncaring for the challenge at the particular moment.

With a quick sidestep that made him appear to be shifting his balance, Ash had kicked his poké ball belt behind the door. He did a quick _feel _around and noticed Pikachu's essence _sleeping _on the roof.

"_Oh no_, I don't have any pokémon with me. _I must've left them somewhere…_" Ash lied poorly.

Maylene didn't seem to notice. "_Actually_, I wanted a match with_ you_. Not your pokémon."

"_A…_ match with me?"

"Yeah. You know, fisticuffs, martial arts, brawling, beat downs, martial dancing, painful politics, dueling, rough housing, combat, battle, knuckle war, head-butting–"

"I get it."

"…_fighting._"

"… I'm not much of a fighter."

"You knocked out a Venusaur." she stated with_ excited interest_.

"I got lucky."

"You knocked it off balance by using its Vine Whip's momentum!"

"Only because I knew what she was intending to do… with my Empathy."

"I'll let you do it to me."

_WHAT ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT UP THERE?_ Misty had heard only the last line.

_She wants me to fight her._ He grumbled to her.

_Oh, that's fine._ Her emotions closed off in disinterest.

Ash sighed. "_Okay._"

"**OK!** You're going dooooowwwWWWNNNNNN_NNNNNNNN–_" Maylene held the line as she slowly backed away.

…

She popped her head back around the corner and continued, _"–NNNN….. ASSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH–_" and disappeared from sight.

_**Sigh.**_

* * *

><p>After a quick shower and dressing into fresh clothes, Ash walked outside and searched for his opponent.<p>

_Nowhere._ There was only her lucario, who was staring at him with interest.

He sighed. _I get ready for her and she's late…_

This was one fight he wasn't looking forward to, and the idea that he had to actually wait for hit made him slightly irritated. Normally, Ash was up for any new challenges – but the headache he had earned from his Empathy had only made him unnaturally fatigued. He had never felt so drained and weary in his life, and not even the shower and fresh clothes helped his situation much… a slight migraine still formed at the side of his head.

If anymore situations like this occurred, he concluded that he would grow to hate his Empathy more than like it.

"_YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"_ a battle cry snapped his attention back to reality.

With an instinctive roll, Ash barely avoided the unseen and _unfelt_ attack.

His sudden dodge had surprised even himself. A strange feeling filled him… though he quickly ignored it as he brought his focus back to the battle at hand.

He centered his senses to his hearing, trying to scout for where the attacker had disappeared to.

Two ridiculously light _thumps_ landed softly on the grass north of him.

"That's a horrible stance." Maylene's** voice** came in loud and clear, with an _odd feeling_ surrounding it.

"I told you I'm not a fighter." he replied, hoping she'd answer so he could feel out the _odd feeling_ again.

"Even if you're not, you definitely have great reaction time."

_There it was again._ The _odd feeling_. _What is tha–_

…

_Nothing._

Maylene wasn't there. Her sound stopped, her feeling stopped.

_Her feeling stopped?_

Ash tilted his head in confusion. As far as he was aware of, no one can make their emotions stop… they could only block them off… yet there it was, _no feeling whatsoever!_ She was completely invisible to him.

_The odd feeling… She's masking herself somehow…_

The fight suddenly had him interested.

"_What are you looking at?"_ a voice whispered right into his ear.

He panicked and stumbled out of the way. She **laughed** at his reaction.

She was suddenly_ visible_. A _soft hue of pink_ surrounding her direction. "You're not the first Empathic fighter I've faced, Ash." Her feet adjusted **against the grass**, her stance shifting.

"You are, however, the first one I've known to fight pokémon seriously." Her feet **left the ground**, but to where, he couldn't tell. The wind had stalled, preventing any obvious sounds of air movement from reaching his ears.

_She's to your left._

Ash struck out to his left, feeling a forearm come into contact with his fist.

He heard a quick **gasp** that **backed away** immediately. _"How did you do that?"_ Maylene seemed genuinely _worried_.

_Misty?_ Ash recognized the one who gave him the heads-up. _What are you doing?_

_Helping you, obviously._

_Why?_

_She's going to strike you from behind._

Ash turned his body and faced the sneaking opponent.

A body that was about to collide with his suddenly **backed away** again.

_How is he…_ Ash sensed Maylene's emotions for a second.

…_so why are you helping me, Mist?_

_You're not a fighter, are you?_

_No…_

_She knows how to fight against Empathics. You don't know how to fight. This hardly seems fair. I'm making it fair. – Duck._

Ash ducked just in time for a punch to fly above his head.

_Her foot's in front of your left foot._

He reached down and grabbed an ankle. The body it belonged to suddenly felt its balance being threatened and proceeded to kick him in the face. _"ACK!"_

Misty **laughed**.

_What's so funny?_ He slowly crawled to his feet after being toppled over.

_This just throws it right back in Angie and Anabel's face._

_What?_

_They called me a pokémon. But really, you're my pokémon right now._

He sighed. _You're enjoying this, aren't you?_

_Of course. _Misty **giggled** to herself.

Maylene pinpointed the sound of laughter and found Misty sitting on a tree branch in the distance.

"_Ohhhh…_ I get it. _Very sneaky, Ash_." Maylene's voice suddenly seemed normal. Her _personality _was far easier to find, albeit not as loud as it used to be.

"I didn't ask her to." Ash admitted. "I can't really ignore emotions… then again, I'm not very good with my other senses either, so it's not a complete advantage."

"Well I guess I was being a bit unfair then. How about we fight fair?" Maylene's _guard was down_. _Testing, testing! Can you hear this?_ she pushed with her emotions.

"Loud and clear." He replied.

"**OK!** Let's do this!"

**Paf paf paf paf pif paf paf.** She was charging in fast.

Ash had no idea how to fight a real fighter. The most experience he had ever gotten physically was protecting his friends from ridiculous things like robots, nets, grappling claws, and containment devices.

_Then just treat it like those things. _Misty's voice came in again.

_Hey quiet, I can handle her n–_

**SMASH**

A punch connected with his face and he found himself tumbling across the grass.

_I let you handle that._ Misty giggled.

"_Ow…_"

_I'm just giving advice, Ash. Not telling you what to do._

Ash slowly got on his feet and listened carefully to the wind.

_Just treat her like Team Rocket's machines. You've done more than most trainers or fighters out there… she shouldn't be this hard for you._

"_Just treat her like Team Rocket's machines…"_ he whispered to himself.

**Paf.** _Behind._

A **swoosh **and **flap** in the wind gave away the fact that it was a kick coming his way.

He dove over the kick. But what he would do after that_, he wasn't sure_.

_Pretend like one of her legs is Pikachu._

_What?_

_Just do it._

Another kick came his way; the sound it made was different from the other. _This one's Pikachu._ he thought to himself.

Adjusting his body for the blow to hit him flat on the chest, Ash imagined Pikachu being knocked out from an arena and he was using his body to catch him.

The hit was too hard, too direct to be anything like Pikachu, and the pain he felt was the price for it.

"_**OOF!"**_

He toppled and rolled across the grass. "…_ow_…"

_Okay, so that didn't work._

_Yeah, thanks for the advice._ he growled.

_You don't have to take my advice._ Misty sighed. _Look, stop treating it like a fight. Just get into it._

_Really? That's it? _Ash mocked.

_Yeah, really. You tend to do your best when you make things up._

…

Ignoring his body's pleadings to surrender, Ash hopped onto his feet and prepared himself.

"Ready for more?" Maylene was _calm _again. All the sugar had drained from her system, and now she sounded far more like the _calm and mature_ Maylene he first met.

"Ready when you are."

"_Hyaaaaaa!" A jump kick._

"Here goes **noTHIIINNGGG!**" Ash charged the attack head on.

_ASH WHAT ARE YOU DOING?_ Misty panicked.

_I HAVE NO IDEA!_ He panicked with her.

By pure luck, Ash had moved his head slightly, causing Maylene's foot to only scrape his cheek. Her counter to this would have been to bend and lock the knee immediately in order to pinch and capture his neck for a mid-air grapple. The technique was meant to place him into a headlock with her legs and cause him to lose balance, giving her the complete advantage. Such an attack may have been extremely effective… if his head hadn't smashed right into a spot it should have never hit.

_Pain _spread throughout Maylene's legs and hips, sending a _strained ache_ up the top portion of her body and making her stomach _feel sick_. Ash had completely toppled backwards, unsure _what he had hit_ at all.

He felt a kick nudge his head slightly. Maylene was rolling over, in complete _pain _and _shock_.

She had been curled up into a ball with her hands between her legs,_ seething in agony_.

Lucario started **laughing**.

"_**M-Maylene?"**_ Ash asked with a bit of concern.

_ASH!_ Misty screamed at him.

_What?_

_Why'd you hit her there?_

_Hit her where?_

"_I- I- I'm okay."_ Maylene struggled to get up.

"Y-You sure?"

"_Yeah, yeah, I'm good."_ She didn't **sound** _good_.

Ash walked towards her to give her a hand. He got a punch to the side of the head as a response.

"_We're still fighting, Ash!"_ Maylene hissed with a _wince of pain_. "**So give it all you got!**"

"_But–"_

Not willing to wait for Ash to change his mood, Maylene limp-dashed towards him and struck four hard hits in his stomach.

He had _seen_ it coming, but couldn't react fast enough. He wasn't even sure _if he __**should**__ react_ considering what he did to her. What he did to her, _he wasn't fully sure_. Neither Misty nor Maylene wanted to even_ hint _what it was.

Ash crumpled from the blows.

To prevent him from getting up, Maylene swung her foot forward and swung it back like a pendulum, meant to strike him hard against his head with the side of her heel.

Ash definitely_ felt_ this one coming and grabbed the incoming blow. His fingers wrapped around the ball of her heel, completely controlling the momentum of the attack. The fighter girl found herself wobbling from the grab and decided to press down her weight, effectively crushing his fingers if they remained where they were. Ash responded by rolling onto his feet and lifting her leg completely off the ground.

In defiance, Maylene quickly jumped with her other leg and swung it towards his head. The action was like a thing of beauty to all who saw, as she seemed to defy gravity. Ash, however, could only _see_ through what he felt. Her weight had adjusted completely, and he felt her thrust heading straight for him.

He let go of the leg right before the impact, forcing the fighting girl to fall sideways to the ground. She softened the landing with a quick turn and roll, leading to a tripping kick, a move Ash only half-avoided.

He fell with a **thud** right on top of her. She struck two quick blows with her fist into his head and followed it with a forearm press that forced him onto his back.

She pressed her arm down onto his neck, effectively choking him. "Surrender."

He tossed and turned, trying to find a way to escape the choke. He kicked upwards, striking a spot that had already crippled her earlier in the match.

She** gasped** in _disbelief _and weakened.

Realizing that it was _that _spot that he had hit earlier with his face, he was completely _ashamed of himself_.

But with Maylene's head lowered from his last attack, there was little time for shame. Ash took that opportunity to swing his head upwards and smash it against Maylene's forehead.

She backed away in _pain_ and toppled over.

Ash was about to check if she was okay after he had stood, but his standing only prompted in Maylene's sudden _aggression_. She had wrapped her thighs around his left foot and pulled his right foot towards her.

He no longer had control of his center of balance. Quickly tilting incorrectly, he fell back on top of her. With a roll and a shove, she pinned him back down and hammered punch after punch into his face. He answered fiercely with a bite on her knuckles and punching her back.

_Angered_, Maylene slammed her head into his. He slammed back. The two regretted this action and both fell to their side.

...

…

…

"**Ow."** Ash was the first to say.

Maylene was breathing hard… she had never had _that kind_ of fight in her life.

_She loved it_.

Ignoring the pain of several incoming bruises, she started **laughing** and reached weakly over to pat Ash's head. She couldn't say anything; she couldn't really _focus_ enough to _feel _anything specific, so she patted him instead. The laugh and pat was her odd sign of affection for this specific moment.

Ash laughed in response and laid his hand on her hair, unable to get his body to pat it.

Her laugh losing strength, Maylene lifted her arm and pointed it skyward. "_…tie._"

"…_yes."_ Ash weakly cheered.

…

Lucario was **clapping**.

* * *

><p>"Hold still."<p>

"But it hurts!"

"It'll stop hurting once I'm done, so stay still!" Misty patted the wet cotton swab on the open wound on Ash's head. He stiffened in silent agony. "Quit being such a baby. It's your fault you got hurt this bad."

"How is it my fault?"

"You should've just given up when she told you to surrender."

Ash seemed unrepentant of his actions.

A _calm and agreeable_ feeling entered the room. It resembled a _mature woman_, yet its stature was _frail in shape _– but built _tough_ _as stone_. Maylene had walked in and sat on the cushion next to Ash.

"So Ash…" she began. "Where's Dawn?"

"She's still up at Sinnoh." Ash answered with a wince as Misty pressed another band-aid against one of his cuts.

"Actually," Misty corrected, "She's up at Hoenn right now."

"_Hm_? How do you know that?" The boy _poked _at her emotions in curiosity.

She _slapped_ his poke away like a child reaching for a cookie before dinner. "She told me herself."

_What? When did you talk to her?_ Ash was now really curious.

"She calls sometimes." Misty answered with a tone to tell Ash that it was rude to have an Empathic conversation when other people want answers too. "She moved over to Hoenn to compete as a Coordinator for the season."

Ash wanted to ask several questions at once, but started with, "So she'll be competing against May again?"

"More than likely."

"Wish I could see it."

"Well they do film the matches… I know which channels to turn to when they're on." Maylene added helpfully.

The two travel friends waved their hands in unison in front of their eyes to signify Ash's blindness.

"_Oh oops!"_ Maylene blushed in embarrassment.

Ash continued with his questions, "How come she called you and not me?"

Misty tied another bandage around Ash's ankle. "Because you're boring to talk to."

"**Hey!"** Ash was offended, though he wasn't sure if he really had a right to be offended. _I don't really know what to say on the phone, anyways._

_It's actually because you never call anyone._ Misty shoved at him. _She just assumed you didn't like calls._

_Oh… …HEY! I call people!_

_Yeah, Professor Oak and your mother._

…_who else am I supposed to call?_

She tightened a bandage to a painful degree.

"**OW!"** _What was that for?_

_You never send me any calls, you jerk._

_What do you want me to call you for?_

"Oh I don't know! **How about calling me to tell me you ended up in an accident that made you lose your sight?**" Misty yelled at Ash's face.

"**Maybe I didn't want to worry anyone about it!**"

"**So you call May, but not me?**"

"**She called me! You never called me once!**"

The two were growling at each other. A cough broke their attention.

"_Um guys?_" Maylene waved nervously at them. "_…I don't have Empathy…_"

Misty bowed. "Oh sorry."

_Don't pretend like you have Empathy._ Ash pinned on Misty.

_I never said I did. _she responded, showing she was ready for another fight.

_But you never said you __**didn't **__when she said that we both had it._

_She didn't say that, she said __**she**__ didn't have Empathy._

_Same thing._

_And it's the same thing that you never called me but you're so eager to answer __**May's**__ calls!_

_That doesn't make any sense!_

"Who's May?" Maylene asked nervously.

Ash tilted his head in her direction. "The one who owned the venusaur that I fought."

"Oh right!"

"I travelled with her for a year… or was it two years? Three? …er… well anyways! You could say she was my student!" Ash boasted. "I taught her the basics when it came to pokémon."

_And what am I? A Magikarp?_

_You weren't my student._ Ash defended.

_But I travelled with you for years, too! You're just going to leave that out?_

_Why is this some kind of competition for you?_

An aura of _hurt_ floated around Misty's chest. She loosened the too-tight bandage and yanked it to test its hold-strength.

_Misty…_

"Was Dawn your girlfriend?" Maylene's innocent question destroyed the_ somber_ mood… by dropping a heavy weight of _tension_ on top of it.

Ash _shattered _at the thought. Misty_ burned_ in silent fire.

_Jailbait._

Ash was afraid to ask what Misty meant but was far too curious to leave it alone. _Wh-What do you mean by that?_

_Dawn._ She hissed the name.

_What do you mean? What's wrong with her?_

_A girl that young shouldn't be dressing like that._

_What are you talking about? Dawn's isn't that young!_

_She's four years younger than us!_

"**She is?"** Ash blurted out loud.

"You met her when she was ten." Misty no longer cared about keeping the topic quiet. _Dawn can be exposed for the girl that she was. _She was a nice girl, Misty admitted, but her constant concern over Ash on the phone calls and nonstop blabbing about how she kept seeing him in her dreams and _blah blah blah BLAH __**BLAH**_. Misty's _anger boiled_. "It had been at **least** four and a half years since **we met** when **you first met her**. It could have been five and a half, and if she had an odd birthday it could certainly have been **six**! So Dawn's definitely _**way **_too young for you."

Ash's jaw stiffened and mind _panicked _at her insinuation.

"_So…_" Maylene watched the back-and-forth argument held by Ash and Misty. "…she **is **your girlfriend?"

"_**NO!"**_ The two yelled at once.

"Are _you two_ dating?"

"_N-No."_ The two stumbled after the other.

"So Ash is free?"

Misty's eyes widened and locked on. Maylene was a _very_ nice girl, and she was turning out to be a fun friend to have around, but wherever she was leading with this _would not end well for her_.

Maylene recognized her fiery glare instantly and flinched. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of her face. "_N-Nevermind._ He might be too young for me anyways."

Ash faced Maylene and tilted his head curiously. "How old are you?"

Maylene seemed taken aback by that question. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I thought you were the same age as me."

"Well how old are you?" Maylene asked back.

"End of conversation, you two." Misty's eyebrows twitched. "You should probably patch up that bruise on your leg, Maylene." She stood and walked towards the stairs.

"What brui–"

Misty jabbed her foot **hard **against Maylene's leg and pretended to trip.

"_**OW!"**_

The Water Pokémon Trainer faked a stumble and hissed, _"Whoops. Clumsy me."_

Maylene looked up at her in _concern_. Misty glared at her with an _**obvious message**_. The Fighting Gym Leader backed down and showed _vulnerability_.

_That's what I thought_. Misty turned and walked upstairs.

…

…

"_Is she normally like that?" _Maylene whispered to Ash once Misty had closed a door.

"On a normal day." Ash laughed.

Maylene giggled. "What's an abnormal day?"

"When she's alone with me, apparently." He shrugged.

"_Ohhh_… so you two…"

"_What?_ No.** No.** Nothing like that!" Ash waved his hands frantically. "She's just nicer when no one else is around."

"Ah okay."

Ash played with his bandages a bit and poked at some covered bruises.

Maylene had done the same in silence.

…

"Your leg okay?" Ash asked.

"_Hm_? Oh yeah. It'll be fine. That kick you gave me hurt a** lot** more."

The young trainer's face turned absolutely crimson. "I am **so **sorry. **So** very sorry."

Maylene laughed. "Nah, you didn't mean it. I just have to… sit _awkwardly_ for a while." She stuck her tongue out in a childish manner.

He was far too embarrassed to respond.

"…_so…_" Maylene went back to a whisper._ "…how old are you?"_

"Sixteen."

"**Really?** I would've thought you were fourteen at most!"

**BU-DUM.** An object dropped heavily on the floor _above_.

Maylene reduced her volume immediately, _"I'm seventeen."_

"_So you __**are **__older than me."_ Ash lowered his voice but still put up a surprised tone.

"_Yeah, people think I'm eleven or twelve sometimes… it's my flat chest, really."_

Ash wasn't comfortable talking about chest sizes, but nodded as to not seem rude.

She continued, _"It comes from my poor diet. Don't eat well and you don't grow well."_

"For a girl who doesn't eat well, you sure are in great shape! Your fighting moves are awesome!" Ash had let his voice rise back up.

Maylene followed his volume, "Thanks! I do my best. Fighting's my passion!"

"I could tell."

"And that fight we had?" she butted in. "_Amazing!_ The kind of fight you look forward to for **all** your life!"

Ash tilted his head. "Really? I thought I fought awful!"

"You fought with heart! You fought how you could fight! How you **should** fight!" Maylene stood and clenched her fists. "Every fight I've been in was always filled with rules that stopped you from going **all **out. But that fight **we** had?"

Her _extremely__** loud**__ energy_ was coming back, except on a far more focused scale, pumping through her entire body instead of shooting out. Her tiny body looked like it couldn't hold in all that _pent up energy_. She ran in place and held a large grin, looking like a child waiting for a present on Christmas Day.

**Stomping **into a stance, she made the tiniest howl Ash had ever heard. She obviously was trying to avoid getting Misty's attention. Ash smiled amusingly at her. She was the _happiest thing in the world_ at the moment – a_ girl_ who seemed nowhere near her age.

Her stance changed and she exhaled a large amount of _energy_.

…

"I mean, _WHAT_ a fight!" She squealed.

Ash could hear her heart **pounding hard** in her tiny frame.

"Yeah, it was pretty fun." he responded with a chuckle.

She shoved her face just inches from his, noses almost touching. Her eyes were wide and sparkling with _youth_. **"Wasn't it?"**

With a hop upwards her_ energy_ came flowing back. "Why can't** every** fight be like that? It was amazing! I _never_ felt so alive in my entire life!" She bent over and grabbed Ash's hands in a firm grip. "Promise me we'll fight again!"

"Huh?"

"**Promise me** we'll fight again!" Her tone was cheerful, yet serious. "I want to get stronger. I want to get faster. I want to get tougher! I want to fight pokémon like you did! And when I get back, I want to face you again!"

"…get back?"

"Well I'm going to do what I said I would do." Maylene let go of Ash and scratched her chin. "Go around Kanto and train with my Lucario and just get better… but before I go back to my Gym, I'm definitely stopping by here again."

She paused. "… you will be here again, right?"

"I'm not su–"

"Well I'll find you." Maylene shamelessly interrupted. "**OK**?"

Ash smiled. "OK!"

"**OK!**" Maylene grabbed her single bag and ran out the door.

"_Lucario! We're heading out!"_ her voice echoed outside.

Her pink haired head popped back into the house. "**Don't forget!** We _have_ to fight again!"

"OK." Ash had noticed that _'OK'_ was her personal phrase, one that she seldom used – probably due to odd looks and strange treatments. She definitely was _more than happy_ that Ash was using it.

"**OK!**" She grinned and let out one last burst of that _ridiculously happy emotion_ before** slamming **the front door shut.

The door slam echoed throughout the house and left a strange ringing in Ash's ears. He did his best to clear it.

…

"_Did she finally leave?"_ came a voice from below.

"**A-Angie?"** Ash scrambled off the couch in surprise.

Squirming out of the couch like a caterpie, the gold-eyed tomboy grunted and grumbled as she got every inch of her body back into the open. She rolled, crouched, then stood. Cracking her back and legs into a comfortable state. Angie gave one last stretch before jumping into a sitting position on the couch.

"**What were you doing underneath the couch?"** Ash was still in surprise.

"Well first, I was hiding from Anabel. She was getting all _'personal'_ again and needed to use me like a yes-woman." In one casual swoop, she snatched up the remote and turned on the television. "I didn't want to have _anything _to do with that, so I hid. Then you guys came in and sat on me. I couldn't exactly leave without freaking out the Gym Leader… so I waited there until they left."

She exhaled, finishing her explanation, "Aaand here I am."

…

Ash shrugged. _Good enough for me._

He sat on the cushion beside Angie. "What's on?"

"Dunno. Flipping through 'em."

"Sounds good to me."


	11. Chapter 11 Sanctuary

Angie changed the channel again. _**"Does your rattata complain about its–"**__ Nothing._

She pressed the button again._**"–onchan does not yet seem to be aware of the incoming pack of hitmonlees aiming to steal its well-earned dinner."**__ Nothing._

Again. _**"Oh Charles, I DO love you. But… I'm… a blissey!"**__ Nothing._

One last time. _**"–rew the rules! I have green hair!" **_**Click.** Angie turned off the television.

A thick sigh shot out of her mouth. Her emotions seemed to exaggerate the moment with emotions of _despair_.

"_**GUHHHHHHHHHH!"**_ she roared out as she fell to one side of the couch. _**"There's nothing on!"**_

"Then let's do something else."

Angie flinched, suddenly becoming aware of her summer friend's existence. Her constant flipping of channels for the past two hours had caused her to become completely ignorant of her surroundings. A Legendary Pokémon could have been dancing next to her and she would have never noticed.

She sat up and leaned against a pillow, staring at Ash with _distant curiosity_.

"Hey." Angie finally said something to Ash.

"Hm?"

"Wanna' hang?"

Angie's current form of communicating with Ash was completely different from the tones and manners he was used to for the past few days._ I haven't really spent any time with Angie lately, now that I think about it._

Ash _adjusted_ his way of thinking in order to be_ casual _with her. Or rather… to be _himself_.

To him, Angie was different from the other girls in a very _strange way_. Each of them was either a friend that traveled with him for long periods of time, or was a short-met acquaintance that had grown a deep connection with him due to special events. But Angie was Ash's _summer friend_. Separate from the rest of the world.

The ways he treated her and hung out with her were completely foreign when compared alongside how he spent time with the others. When Ash was around her, he felt… _different._

"Sure." Ash nodded. "Where to?"

"Ugh. I dunno." She sighed. "You know this place better than I do, you pick."

He thought long and hard.

A smirk ran across his face. _"I know just the place!"_

"Finall– _**Huh?**_ Wait up!"

Ash had ran out the door and was already sprinting down a path.

Angie ran after him and closed the door behind her.

* * *

><p>"Where are we going, Ash?" Angie picked off a nearby leaf from a tree and started chewing on it.<p>

_I seriously hope we're not lost._ She had been following Ash deep into the woods. As far as she knew, Ash had never travelled to this part of Pallet Town while blind. _If they were still in Pallet Town…_ The trees were getting thicker and thicker, with branches hitting her more consistently.

_How he's able to find his way around here is beyond me._ She ducked another branch and continued following.

"_Yes! It's still here!"_ Ash exclaimed ahead.

"What's still here? How do you even know where here i–" Angie was silenced at what she saw.

Just passed a row of trees with strange carvings embedded into them, a round clearing appeared. Branches carrying leaves of all colors hung above, reflecting warm colors of sunlight like a natural kaleidoscope onto the soft grass below. A tire swing swayed with the wind above a field of flowers, with two small paths of dirt showing where only dragging feet kept their mark. Covered in vines, a lone toolbox rusted by time sat with patience; waiting for the day when someone would unlock its secrets. And in the center, stood a single white stump. Whatever tree grew here was different in color from the rest, with an almost perfect skin that gave it a surreal aura.

What the tree had been _must have been special_. To see it destroyed by the hands of an anonymous stranger… _was saddening_, yet gave it a mysterious history. _Why only this tree? What did it represent?_

Despite its dead loneliness, it had also been the foundation for much life. This area was a child's secret playland. A place safe from the rest of the world. And this solitary stump provided everything that haven needed. A chair. A table. A platform. A step. A cliff. A wall. A friend.

Angie wandered into this fairytale land, her eyes taking it all in – like breathing in swirls of painted winds, like sinking into a sea of stories and secrets, like absorbing a moment frozen in time.

"_Ash…"_ Her eyes focused on the light coming from above. _"This place… it's __**beautiful**__."_

"I'm glad you like it."

"_Like it…?_ That's a joke." She dropped on her knees to get a closer look of the pure white stump. _"This is place deserves more than__ just a__** like**__."_

**Cllllink.**

Angie turned to see Ash opening the toolbox. From her distance, she could see trinkets and papers of all kinds. Most of them seemed damaged or absolutely useless. _Sentimental value_, she thought.

He picked out a single item and closed the toolbox. It was a photo, one that didn't seem too old, but definitely worn from being inside the rusted box for a long period of time.

Ash couldn't see the picture, yet he still smiled as he ran his fingers across its surface. Just touching it made him remember all the times he held it in the past. _He must've looked at it a lot_, Angie assumed. _He looks pretty nostalgic._

"Remember this picture?" Ash said with a lower tone. A tone she hadn't heard since the nights they'd spend hanging out under the night sky that wonderful summer.

She remembered that he admitted to never using it around his friends, as they always saw him as just a kid. He never wanted his friends to feel uncomfortable around him. She argued that if they were real friends that they would accept him for whoever he was. _'It's just a voice. It's not that big of a deal.'_ He ended the argument with.

Ash approached her and handed her the photo.

Tears almost escaped her eyes when she realized what the photo was. In it _Ash and Angie were both leaning against a tree, shoulder to shoulder, Pikachu on Ash's head, and Shinx on her shoulder. Ash's eyes were closed due to his hat falling off right when the photo was taken._

She had been the one who had taken the picture… it was with a disposable camera that the students were passing between each other. Angie remembered this was the only picture she successfully taken a picture of with Ash in it. He had avoided the student camera like a sickness, saying _he didn't want to get in trouble in case the instructors found it._

Thinking back, she remembered how often she checked her mail to see if the photo came. The student in charge of keeping the camera was supposed to send the photos to each of their proper owners once they were developed. She questioned constantly if she had written her address correctly for them. Eventually she had completely forgotten about the mail and moved on.

_Yet here it was._

"_Ash… where did you get this?_"

"I crossed out your name and address and put mine on the list." He laughed.

She punched one of his bandaged bruises.

"_**Ow!"**_

"**Why'd you do that?"** She was ready to hit him again if he didn't answer.

He smiled at her and said, "Don't you remember? I told you that if you ever took a picture of me with that thing that I'd make sure you never get it."

"_You…"_ She kicked him in the shin.

"Ouch!" He backed away with a playful smirk.

"_You jerk!"_ She chased him around in circles.

Angie finally was able to trip him and wrestled him into a lock.

"_**Ow ow ow!"**_ He shouted while still laughing.

"Say you're sorry!" She commanded as she twisted his leg.

Ash shifted his weight and knocked her down. He pinned her to the ground. "**No way.** I got that thing fair and square."

The two laughed as they struggled against each other – with Angie struggling to get out of the hold and Ash struggling to keep her in place.

A sigh of satisfaction came from Ash. He was looking at her with a genuine smile.

He couldn't see her, as his blank eyes showed… _but he knew she was there_. His grip suddenly felt lighter, almost as if his fingers were feeling her own. His breathing becoming softer, as if he was investigating her scent. And a strange silence filled the air as if he was intently listening to her every twitch.

_Don't look at me that way, Ash…_ She blushed._ You can't admire me like that. I'm not that kind of girl…_

With little effort, Angie pulled her wrists free and pushed him off.

"_Hmph._" She huffed with an air of irritation. She shoved the photo into her pocket. "I'll just take this."

She sat on the ground next to the stump and started looking at its near-perfect skin again.

Ash crawled over and sat on the stump.

"_So…_" he started. "What do you think of this place?"

She blinked up at him. "It's amazing, but… _what is this place?_"

"This is my little sanctuary." Ash said with a big grin. "I found this place when I was little and I never forgot about it. …It's a place I go to whenever I needed to be alone… I visit it every time I arrive back in Pallet Town… when no one's was watching, that is."

"Why did you bring me here?" she questioned with a curious stare.

…

Ash went quiet.

"You can tell me. You owe me that much."

"Owe you for what?" Ash took off his cap.

Angie stared at him for a while._ I like him without that silly hat._

"…You owe me for dragging me along into this crazy adventure."

"You didn't **have** to follow me here. You could've just stayed at the house."

"No, not that. I meant all…" She twirled her finger in the air. "_…this. _Your blindness, your Empathy training, the prison, all that stuff."

"Well the answer's the same for that… You didn't have to follow me."

"You asked me to."

"_What do you mean?_" Ash raised his brow, completely confused.

"You don't remember?"

"Remember _what_?"

Angie studied his face carefully before sighing. "_Okay…_ let me start from the beginning…"

She leaned back and adjusted her position. "So I first saw you at the hospital, but before this, I had _just_ started on my own Pokémon Journey… I was able to convince my parents to let me go off on my own. I wanted to see the world and see what I could make of myself. Before I could leave though, my mom had asked me to visit my uncle in the hospital. And seeing that it was the least I could do for them, I did."

The tomboy stretched, letting off a small yawn before continuing, "After visiting him, I went downstairs and saw some girl panicking at the front desk, demanding for a doctor. I was going to go up to her and yell at her to be respectful… until I noticed there was a badly injured boy sitting on the floor next to her.

"Then I was just going to let her be… but then I noticed there was something _too_ familiar about the boy. To my surprise, it was you! I was shocked, to say the least. I ran to you calling out your name. The girl, who was obviously Anabel – but I didn't know her name yet, was surprised that I knew you. She _begged_ me to stay with you and to get a doctor.

"Of course I said yes, no duh. She gave me her contact info and she ran out of the hospital with a poké ball in her hand." Angie paused to think, ensuring she told the story correctly up to this point. "So anyways, I got you a doctor. I wasn't sure if I should stay with you, or if I should have just gone. I mean, I was worried, but I had my own journey to do, you know?"

Ash nodded to show that he understood.

"_And well…_ I actually was going to leave you. I thought you were in good hands already. I was about to give Anabel's information to the doctor, when you suddenly called out… _my name_." Her eyes became distant as she experienced that memory all over again as she told it. "I wasn't sure if you really did say it, but then you said it again. You were reaching at me… and you asked me_ to not leave you_… and that you _missed me_…"

…

…

"_Really?"_ Ash was scratching his chin, heavy in thought. "I don't remember any of that. That's pretty crazy…"

"You even woke up for a while in the helicopter." Angie pointed out. "You were reaching out to me then, too… though I think you called me by a different name then."

"…_wait… _**you** were in the helicopter with me?" Ash seemed extremely confused at this point. "I thought **Anabel** was the one with me in the helicopter!"

"Anabel? You called me 'Amy'! That a nickname for her? Well whatever…" Angie stuck her tongue out. "No, it was me in there with you."

"…_huhh_… that's _so_ weird that I don't remember _any _of that."

"I wouldn't think an unconscious kid would remember what he wasn't awake for." she added.

Ash looked guilty. "…Then that means I really stalled your journey, didn't I?"

Angie shrugged. "Pretty much."

"_Ouch… I'm so_–"

"**Ah-ah-ah!**" She put one finger on his lips and wagged another in the air. "You owe me an _explanation _of why you brought me here, **not **an apology."

He sighed.

"_Fine…_" Ash surrendered. "I guess… I guess I just knew you'd be the only one that wouldn't treat me differently after seeing this place. If anyone else came here and saw this, they'd treat me like a completely different person. They might even treat me all… _special_."

"Oh like they don't _already_ treat you special." Angie joked.

Ash pointed his hand lightly in her direction. "_See?_ That's what I'm talking about. No one else would come in here and take me casually."

Angie smiled.

…

She then scratched her chin. "_Hm…_ Move out of the way, I want to sit on that thing now." With a quick push, she shoved Ash off the stump. Crossing her legs and adjusting her posture, she sat silently and gazed into her summer friend…

…

…

"What makes you think they'll treat you like that?" she finally asked.

"That's always how it always happens. Gary used to be my best friend when I was little." Ash admitted. He moved around until he found a comfortable position, knowing that his story would be long. "After we got old enough, he started being mean to me.

"The guy may not look like it now, but three or four years back, Gary would always harass me and call me names. He'd never give up the chance to shove something in my face to get me angry. And that wasn't because he was just some jerk… …well, actually, he _was _a jerk – but that wasn't his **only** reason to treat me like that."

Ash sighed as he recalled earlier memories that he thought he had forgotten. "A few years before that… I remember I defended this kid who used to bully other kids. The bully was getting bullied now, and I didn't think it was right. I _did_ think he deserved to pay for everything he did, but _not_ by us turning into him… So I defended him. And even though Gary was never bullied by that kid especially, he started looking at me different because I protected him. He thought I was too soft and nice to people – and that I was weak because of it.

"It's not that I was supposed to be a jerk or anything… I just wasn't supposed to be like… _that_. Being nice to some kid that we didn't really owe anything to. _And well…_ Gary and I didn't really hang out as much after that, mainly because I couldn't take his _daily_ insults. He only got like that after I protected that kid. I never really knew why… but apparently that really bothered him."

…

"I dunno… that's kinda' specific, don'tcha' think?" Angie responded with a raised brow. "I don't really know if just that one event is enough to think people will treat you weird for seeing this place."

"Oh no, that wasn't the only situation." Ash continued, "That was just the example for a person you knew. I used to have a lot more friends when I was younger… and every time I acted different and _stayed different_, they'd get so uncomfortable that they'd stop being my friend.

"It happens even these days. If I act too mature or too knowing about something, Misty gets all quiet around me. If I act too interested in girls or okay with things like romance, May would start treating me differently. If I act too reckless and do dumb things for little to no reason, Anabel gets distant. I'm noticing this all now more than ever." Ash sighed. "Because of my _Empathy_."

He laid down and pulled out a nearby flower. "I really can feel it this time. I thought I was just paranoid before… but now I _know _I'm not crazy. It's like people don't want me to grow up or something… like I wouldn't be me anymore if I just acted differently."

His summer friend sat silently, listening to his story. She wasn't sure what to make of all the information he was giving. Though it was similar to the stories he'd tell back at the Summer Academy, it felt a lot more personal.

From the stories he had told her then, Ash seemed a lot more mature and understanding than people gave him credit for. True enough he was still immature and stubborn and would be known for getting into the stupidest situations, but he was fully aware of it… these stories only enforced that idea.

She felt slight pity for him… yet also felt a sense of pride in knowing these things. In a way, Ash saw her as a partner he could confide in, and she was glad… because she wanted to be his partner. She wanted to protect him and support him in everything he did. He was a great guy, and she believed all his friends didn't really deserve him.

"It's not that I _want_ to be different…" Ash spoke up again, continuing his feelings for the story he told earlier. "…I mean, I don't think I'm that smart, I don't think I'm really into romance, and I don't think I'm that reckless… but it's not like I'm _never_ interested in those things, y'know?"

She nodded. It was a feeling she agreed deeply with.

"So whenever I start a new journey with a new person to travel with… I always want to try something _different_." He let out a long sigh. "But then I get stuck. They get _too _used to the new thing I tried and expect me to _always_ be that. …and I will be. But I'm other things too, ya?"

Ash closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose, letting all the air out of his lungs.

He opened his eyes again and stared back into the darkness, sighing.

"…but you're different. You're fine with whatever I turn into or change into. You don't care who I act like… _because…_ I dunno, I feel like you know who I am… _like you always have or something._"

Angie placed a hand on his leg to show affection. She wanted him to tell her more, to connect with her on deeper levels, to open himself up in ways no one else could see him…

"I mean… even if I look at you in _that way_… you still wouldn't treat me any differently." his words caused Angie's face to turn pink.

Ash blushed with her.

"_Because well…_ I guess it's not like we have _to deny it_. It's not _a bad idea_. Not a bad thing at all." His shoulders tensed as he continued to speak in a way he still wasn't fully used to.

"_Not a bad thing at all."_ Angie agreed with a whisper and deep blush.

Ash flipped onto his stomach and started pulling out individual grass blades. "But my other friends… it always feels like _that_ emotion would change _everything_… like we can't _ever_ think those things, wonder those things, want those things – without our relationship changing _completely_."

"Except Anabel." Angie added.

"Yeah… but Anabel isn't even a close friend yet." He tossed the cut blades into the wind. "It's like she just wants to _instantly_ be a girlfriend or wife or something.

"I mean… what's it going to be like if I did get with her? What happens _after _the honeymoon? Do we even have anything in common that we love to do? …I mean, there's Pokémon, but _everyone_ loves Pokémon. So it's not like we're going to be there for each other. We're just going to be there for the pokémon."

Angie giggled in agreement.

Ash sighed again. "_Why the rush into a relationship?_ It's not like I'm going to disappear forever. I can still be their support and friend even if I get married. I'd still be there for them. I wouldn't abandon them just because I was married."

"Even if your wife _wanted _you to leave them?" Angie pushed.

He shrugged. "I guess I would leave them. But I don't know why I'd ever have to."

"Women don't like each other very much."

"Is that from experience?" Ash asked with a laugh.

"_More than you think."_ She groaned.

…

…

"So yeah." Ash exhaled. "I brought you here because you're the only one that could see this place and not treat me like some kind of tree hugger or delicate flower afterwards."

"Honestly, it'd be perfect to call you a delicate flower." she teased.

"Yeah." He smiled in satisfaction. "But you wouldn't mean it."

"Nope." She grinned.

…

"Can I ask you a question, Ash?"

"Hm?"

"Did May really kiss you?"

Ash buried his face into the grass and shouted loudly into the ground. "_**Mrrrrrrrrphhhh!**_"

…

He lifted his head and answered in defeat, "Yes."

"_Why_ did she? Why did you_ let_ her?"

"She was depressed. Thinking about old ex-boyfriend stuff. She was really sensitive." Ash explained. "I couldn't just let her be like that. …I especially didn't want her to pretend like it wasn't a problem. Normally when another person is around she just locks up those feelings, and it drives her crazier and crazier until she has time to be alone. She doesn't think anyone knows, but I've felt her feelings whenever she was alone… she hates _everything_ about herself when she's alone."

He shrugged. "So I wanted her to let it all out. To settle it all. So she wouldn't be so crazy when she left. …I mean, who knows how long she'll be by herself out there. If she didn't let it out then, she might've done something_ stupid_. Like get back with her ex. I didn't want her to come back all messed-up, y'know?"

"So you let her kiss you?" Angie tilted her head.

"**No!"** Ash sat up, his face red from the memory. "I had no idea she was going to do that! And what was I supposed to do after she did? Push her away, spit to the side, and say _'Ewww Cooties!'_ ?"

Angie laughed childishly.

He chuckled. "Honestly, I didn't know that would happen. I didn't feel it coming whatsoever. And like I said, what was I supposed to do after she did? _…she just really wanted to express that._ She really wanted to let go of all of those feelings._ …and I don't blame her._"

He blushed. "I mean, I don't really regret that she did. It was very… _nice_… I guess."

Angie kicked him back down. "Jerk. Saying that in front of me." she spoke honestly.

"_I know. I know. _I'm sorry. I just wanted to be honest." He said as he sprinkled blades of grass into his face. "I know you'd understand if I told you…"

"You should just stop being so nice to those girls. You _encourage_ them to have those thoughts, you know?"

He sat up again. "_I guess._ But what am I _supposed_ to do? Lie to them by not caring? Honestly, I do care about them. I do feel for them. I want to be there for them. Because they're not just great friends… they're great women, they really are. And there are just so few good guys that catch their eye out there… All the guys I've seen them fall for are just… _Gah!_ Just thinking about them getting with any of those jerks just depresses me." he groaned.

"I mean, don't you just want to be close to someone because you get sensitive in emotions? I know that even I've felt it a few times…" He massaged his forehead and exhaled. "… if any of them did that with just _any_ guy, they'd probably end up like May. She feels… _broken_. And she's always paranoid about men now… I don't want any of them ending up and staying like that… _they mean a lot to me…_"

"Well you're going to have to make a choice sooner or later, Ash." She slid off the stump and sat next to him. Her face turned a deep pink as she wrapped her arms around his. "A-And don't forget that _I'm_ one of th-those choices." she stuttered.

Ash blushed and felt his body sweat a little.

"_Personally speaking,_" she added, "_I'd kick them all out. None of them are __**anything but**__ trouble for you._"

He laughed nervously, "They're good friends."

"_Oh, I'm not denying that they are!_" Angie clarified. "From all the stories you've told me about them, they sound like wonderful people and great friends! But fact is, as long as they keep bickering over you, it's just going to make things more complicated… And knowing you, you're just encouraging that by letting them do whatever they please."

The Empathic found himself falling back to the dirt… He rolled in despair.

"_What do you think I should do then?_" He stopped rolling. "_I mean should I…_"

"_Nothing._" Angie interrupted with a sigh. She hated what she felt like she had to say next. "You… You shouldn't just say _'No'_ to them… with the way they are, they'd avoid you and just run off to find the next guy to care for them. And you'd be stupidly right… _they would get with some jerk._ And then you'd be stupidly depressed for them. And if I were anyone else, I'd tell you to forget about them. _But you know what? _No. They mean a lot to you, _I'd never tell you to do that…_"

She rolled beside him and started poking at his bandages. "But honestly you _deserve _more than all this, Ash. You helped them out with so many things… and you keep a lot of them stable… but you shouldn't be crawling around trying to please every single one of them… you need one wife. One partner. And the rest should just be happy being your friends…"

"…_so I what should I do?_" Ash frowned, even more confused than ever.

"Like I said… _Nothing. _The girls want to fight over you? Let them fight over you… It'll make them know what they really want in their relationship. Eventually they'll have to give up sometime… or at least admit defeat. And in the end, they'll still be your friends, and they'll know what to really look for in a guy…" She poked the tip of his nose playfully, sighing at her own conclusion.

"_Then…what will you do?_"

"I guess I have no choice but to compete,_ you jerk_." She gave a slight laugh. Her eyes judged his features in infatuation. "Honestly, I'm the best choice you've got. _I'd take you right now if I could…_" A bright red colored her face, completely in disbelief at herself for her honesty. "…but I won't. Because if I really am the best for you, then I'd be able to beat them at their own stupid games. And unlike them, even if I lose, _I'd still love to be your best friend…_"

Ash's face mimicked her blush's color. "_…s-same here, Anj._"

The two smiled at each other. Their fingers wrapping around each other's firmly.

…

"_C-Come on, let's go."_ Ash fumbled into a stand and wobbled for a few steps. _"We've been gone for too long."_ He placed his hat back on.

Angie stood up. "**Oh wait!** I want to swing on the tire swing!"

Ash grabbed her by the sleeve and yanked her away from it. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. That tire swing's haunted."

"What?" She didn't believe him.

"No. I'm not kidding. I never put up that tire swing. That's always been there." Ash said distantly.

"…_and it's haunted?_" She started getting chills.

"**Definitely** haunted." Ash said as he walked back into the forest.

She stared at the swing as it rotated eerily. The air felt inhumanly cold in an instant. She let out a tiny squeal of fear and ran to the safety of Ash.

"**Told ya'.**" He laughed as he wrapped his arm around her.

The two hurried on home, for the sake of time – _but also to avoid any possible curses from angry spirits_.


	12. Chapter 12 Escape

**Knock Knock Knock.**

Ash sat up and rubbed his face. The air was still cold, still crisp. _Early morning,_ he figured.

His actions were automatic, his body piloting itself only to respond to things in necessity rather than will. _Too early to care. Too tired to want to._ He stood, but before he could make a single step towards the door he heard a sound coming from behind him.

"_Pssssst!"_ the sound was hollow, as it was from behind his window.

_What now…_

Ash turned towards the window in curiosity, though he found himself in conflict on whether to answer the door or window first.

"_Don't answer the door."_ the hollowed voice warned.

That answered it for him.

He walked over to his window and opened up a crack. The freezing morning air shot through and nearly forced him to let go of the sliding window. _"Hurry up!"_ it was Angie's voice, with _urgency _and _panic _covered in whispers.

"What are you–"

_**NO TIME!**_ Angie did her best to shout in her emotions.

His wrist was grabbed and yanked through the small opening of the window. He was about to audibly complain about the pain when a hand went over his mouth.

With quick pats and pulls to give him the sense of _emergency_, Ash squeezed himself through the window and crawled out onto the platform Angie had been standing on.

Angie did her best to close the window silently.

"Angie, what's going on?" Ash groggily asked.

She put him in a headlock, covered his mouth, and crouched. _"Shhhh…"_

Through the window he could hear his room's door open quietly.

**Fop. Fop. Fopf.** Someone was walking in his room, someone who sounded too heavy be anyone he knew.

"_Boss,"_ a deep voice muffled through the window, _"No one's in this room."_

"_Step out."_ A _familiar, threatening_ voice echoed into the room.

"_Yes sir."_ The large figure shifted out of the area.

"_Ampharos… clear the room."_

A **low purr **entered the room. _That doesn't sound like a normal Ampharos…_

"_What kind of pokémon is that…"_ Angie hissed. She pulled out her pokédex.

'_**POKÉMON NOT FOUND'**_ is all that flashed on the screen.

"_What…"_

Electricity burst from the Dark Ampharos, spreading across the room and into every crevice.

The heat coming through the window was growing hotter and hotter. _"Angie, we've got to move."_ Ash grunted.

She nodded and the two jumped off the roof and onto the floor in front of the front door.

They weren't alone. _"Who the–"_ A man who had been guarding the front turned at the sound of their landing.

He reached for his radio.

"_**Oh no you don't."**_ another familiar voice appeared behind the man. It launched a strike to the back of his head.

**BAF.** The man fell over unconscious.

"Maylene?" Angie's eyes widened. She grinned, completely gladdened to see a friendly face.

The pink-haired fighter glared around her before looking at Ash and Angie.

"Lucario, get Ash out of here."

Ahum of acceptance sounded next to Ash. He had no idea Lucario was there. In fact, he never felt Maylene coming either._ Something's wrong_, was all he could sense from them.

Two stiff arms wrapped around his waist and lifted him off the ground. _"Huh?"_

Angie's eyes widened. "Maylene, what are you–"

"They're after Ash." She responded with a straight tone. "We have to get him out of here right now."

"But what about–"

"We can't save them. These aren't regular Team Rocket thugs."

"**Team Rocket?"** Ash struggled to get the blue jackal to let go of him. "They're after Pikachu!"

"They already have him." Maylene used her hand to silence Ash. "We can't get him back. They have pokémon I've never seen before. And they have a lot of them.

"Besides, they weren't after him. They were after _you_, Ash." she growled.

Angie asked for the quieted boy, "_Why him?_"

"I'll explain later. For now grab whatever pokémon you have and let's get out of here."

Ash struggled to get his mouth free. "_Mmm _– My poké ball belt is back at my room…"

"Then it's too late for them." Maylene stated in disappointment.

"But–"

"Lucario, let's go!"

Maylene ran into the forest, with her Aura Pokémon shortly behind.

"_Let me go! I said let me go! ASH!"_ Delia's scream stopped Angie in her tracks.

She was conflicted. _Go with them? Try to save the others?_

"_It's Team Rocket! Starmie! I choose – AHHH!" _Misty failed in her attempt to fight back.

_No… What should I do?_

Something moved at the corner of her eye. Angie turned and found a frightened espeon cowered behind a bush.

_Anabel's espeon…_

Angie crouched down. _"Espeon."_ She whispered and waved the Sun Pokémon over. _"We need to get out of here."_

The cat-like creature hesitated.

"_Please… we'll come back for Anabel later."_

It nodded and ran towards her, jumping onto her shoulder for protection.

Angie turned and ran into the forest. Maylene had waited for her, giving her a serious nod to let her know she had made the right choice.

The five ran deeper into the woods, never looking back.

* * *

><p>Despite Maylene's seriousness, she still found herself in <em>awe<em> when she stepped into the sanctuary.

"_What is this…"_

Ash sat silently on the tree stump, clearly upset.

Lucario stared_ coldly _at the ominous tire swing at the corner of the area.

Angie had avoided it and sat on the opposite side of the clearing. "It's Ash's hang out spot. No one knows about it other than him… and me."

The Gym Leader glanced at Ash. Colors of red, orange, and yellow reflected on his body as the sun was beginning to rise. Without his usual vest and cap, the boy looked far less childish. His features far more pronounced as the loose clothes he had slept in draped over his form nicely. In a way, he seemed taller, leaner in all the right spots, and definitely far more mature. And whether or not it was just his morning or troubled looks, he certainly had a handsome look to his face.

Maylene found herself staring before too long.

…

**Ahem.** The tomboy cleared her throat.

"Right!" Maylene's eyes turned stern once again. "Lucario, check the area. Make sure we weren't followed."

It took its eyes off the menacing swing and jumped into the branches above.

Espeon hopped off of Angie's shoulder and sat on Ash's lap, sharing similar _concern_ as the boy.

"_Why did we leave them…"_ his voice was lower than Maylene had ever heard. It startled her.

Instead of studying the constant surprises Ash hid under his sleeve, she decided to answer him. "There were too many of them. And that man with them, whoever he was, he didn't look like any Team Rocket squad leader I've seen before… Not only that, but many of them were carrying weapons. They hardly looked like any of the cronies I've faced."

"His name's Giovanni." Ash mentioned. His memory had finally revealed to him the identity behind the voice he heard within his room.

"_Hm_?"

"He was a Gym Leader here in Kanto…"

"**You have a Gym Leader that works with Team Rocket?"** Maylene approached him. **"How can you tolerate that?"**

"**HAD** a Gym Leader that worked with Team Rocket… He disappeared one day. They still haven't found a full replacement for him." Ash tilted his head to face her. "Besides, no one knew he worked for Team Rocket. And no one has ever gotten evidence of him being a part of them."

"But we saw." Angie stood with determination. "We can be witnesses!"

"Wouldn't be enough." Ash frowned. "I've heard of a lot of people disappearing when they accuse him of any crimes."

With a sigh, he continued, "…I didn't think any of them were true, but there were rumors that Team Rocket's everywhere here in Kanto. They have their hand in everything. And touching any of their higher-ups? It's always bad news…"

"Have you ever faced Giovanni?" Maylene was curious. "As a Gym Leader, that is."

"No… I had to fight a substitute. But Gary did."

"How did he fair?"

Ash recalled the memory. It was _strangely fuzzy_, as if _something _was blocking the full story. "Gary was beaten easily by him. He kept saying something about a pokémon he had never seen before."

The pink-haired fighter nodded. "They all had pokémon that I've never seen before. Knowing that, they must have been elites. Team Rocket often sells their rare pokémon… I'd guess only the higher-ups keep the best for themselves."

"**We should've tried something!"** Ash yelled at Maylene, causing her to suddenly feel _cornered_.

"**And risk you getting captured?"** She had grabbed him by the collar. "Team Rocket's known for more than just stealing pokémon! They not only have been thought to experiment on, brainwash, and even kill some of them – but they've been known to do the same to people!"

The Trainer growled… backing down unwillingly. Ash had heard of those rumors, but never wanted to believe them. They always seemed too dark in a world where wars were no longer fought, where the greatest heroes still existed and were known to be the _Elite_. To Ash, he didn't think such dark figures could exist alongside figures so bright.

But knowing all this, he felt even more at edge at not saving his friends and mother. He wanted to fight back, he wanted to go back there and try something, but _something_ in his gut was telling him that Maylene was _right_. _They wouldn't have stood a chance_. …and though he never admitted anything was impossible or useless, something was_ stopping _him from acting against this logic.

"_Why were you back at Ash's?"_ A tone of suspicion came from Angie's lips.

Ash suddenly realized that he had no idea why Maylene had returned to their house. He _struck hard_ with his Empathy to search her. But it was like ramming concrete with a needle. Her focus had kept him out and he was too weak to break through.

"I was tracking them." She answered with no fear or doubt. "I saw them on my way to Viridian City. Originally, I was planning to knock them out and get them arrested, until I noticed how many there were. Lucario and I hid before they noticed us. …and then we followed them here…"

Angie nodded, finding her story clean enough. "But how do you know they were after Ash? And why would they be after him? Wouldn't they have just aimed for him before?"

"They did." Ash responded. "They were always after my pikachu."

"Not this time." Maylene stated. "I think their lower cronies were always after your pikachu, but if the head of Team Rocket really wanted him, they would already have him. They beat Pikachu easily and captured him back at your house. I only managed to knock a few of them unconscious, but their pokémon were far too powerful for Lucario and I.

"These ones? Were after _**you**__, specifically_."

"But that doesn't make sense!" Angie threw her arms in the air. "Ash has competed in so many tournaments. He's gotten involved with so many stories, it'd practically be impossible to find an event that didn't have him in it! If Team Rocket really wanted him, they had plenty of chances to do it! Why _here_? Why _now_?"

"Tell me, what was the last tournament Ash entered in?" Maylene asked.

"The Tsunami Fest–" Angie's eyes narrowed, finding one piece to the puzzle…

Lucario had returned and shook his head, calming his partner with his news.

"I'd assume Ash's notoriety went beyond just _'great Trainer'_ after that tournament." Maylene pointed out. "I heard some of them talking amongst each other… they knew about Ash's Empathy."

"So? There's a lot of Empathics out there!" Angie had brought up yet another point Ash had wanted to ask. It was a relief for him, as he wouldn't have asked as nicely…

"Not like Ash." Maylene sighed, already tired of the topic that caused her tension. "Even ignoring all the things he's famous for, he's also been involved in a lot of things that Team Rocket had their hands in… and the rumors of what else he had been involved with are even more outrageous."

Angie stared curiously at Ash. There was so much about him she didn't know. Though he'd always tell her stories of their adventures, he never seemed to run out of them. What other stories he had to tell, she wasn't sure, but _she wanted to hear them_.

Leaning against a tree, Maylene continued, "To Team Rocket, Ash is a kind of a boogeyman. But now that they know he's an Empathic, they're beginning to see him as a bigger threat than Lance."

Ash felt a strange form of_ honor and pride_ from the comment.

"And seeing that Ash is still young and not even a Master in any region yet…" Maylene did her best to word it properly without offending him. "They thought they could capture him before he became a _real_ thorn on their side."

"What will they do to my mom and the rest?" Ash finally asked.

…

An _uneasy_ feeling stung the air.

"_We have to go back."_ Ash decided.

Maylene stood in front of him. "No we don't."

"**Then what do we do? Stay here and let them rot?"**

"We **can't **face them!"

"**Then get the police involved!"**

She placed a hand on his arm. "If what you said was true, we can't go to any officials. Not even head figures. If Team Rocket's as big as you say they are… _then we don't have any real allies up there._ You'll find your friends and family in worse troubles if you went to the authorities…"

"Then… _what am I supposed to…_" Ash's eyes stared in _defiance_. Tears welled up on the corners. He couldn't see her, yet he still hoped she could see his emotions through his eyes. He had no words left. Nothing more to say. _She knew what he felt. He was just hoping she'd understand_.

Angie stood to the side, deeply concerned for Ash… She had no idea what to do or say, but she needed something, anything. With pleading eyes, she looked towards the Gym Leader and frowned.

Anabel's espeon curled against the fighter's legs as if to beg.

…

"**Shoot."** Maylene ran her fingers through her hair in distress.

…

"**Fine!**"

Ash gave a resolute smile and nodded, turning to run back.

"But we can't go back now."

"**What? **_**Why?**_**"** He stopped in his tracks, _irritated_.

"I'm not taking back what I said. They **are** still too tough for us. We'll need help. Information. Anything. We can't just run in there."

"But what about my mom and–"

"Hope that they'll use them as bait for you. If worse comes to worse, we can let them know of your whereabouts so that they don't try anything too hasty on any of them." Maylene did her best to comfort and explain. "Team Rocket may be dirty and under-handed, but they never get rid of their cards until they no longer have a use for them. As long as they know you're still out there, all of your friends will be as valuable as insurance alive."

Shaking her head, she sighed. "…what we need now is help. We can't do this with just the three of us… we'll need a team. But there's no way we can do this easily… we have to make sure we can trust them completely."

…

…

Ash walked to the rust-covered toolbox.

He pulled out several individual items and laid it on the floor in front of them.

_A ribbon sliced in half._

_A bent spoon._

_A strange rock._

_A photo of a charizard._

_A newspaper clipping of a famous researcher._

_And a sketching of Ash and Pikachu._

"What are these?" Maylene asked as she and Angie studied the items.

Ash felt through the items with the tip of his fingers… a smile crossed his lips.

"_People that I know can help us."_

* * *

><p>"<em>Give me two days! I'll be there as soon as possible!"<em> May's expression was that of a panicked woman who had been refused sleep, a stark contrast to its perfect complexion at the beginning of the video call.

"**No no no!** May don't!" Ash's expression had been the opposite. His worried and stressed serious face had slowly dissipated at the sound of a familiar voice. "I just need some of your pokémon. Any that you can spare."

"_What happened to your pokémon at Professor Oak's? Did they take those too?"_

Maylene appeared behind Ash. "Can't. I saw a group of them sent to bug and survey that lab. Any and all communication or visits will be reported immediately… We can't step one foot near there."

"_Who is…"_ May looked faint. Too much worry and stress had hit her all at once. Any additional grief would have knocked her out completely. Seeing an unfamiliar face added extra burden to her already chaotic mind.

"This is Maylene." Ash stated as he stepped back. "She's the one who saved me."

"Nice to meet you. I only wish it were in better circumstances." Maylene nodded.

May bowed briefly and returned her attention to Ash. _"You have to let me go there!"_

"You have your Contests! I can't let you…"

She responded with a palm to the screen, hard enough to cause static to flare for a few seconds. _"That's stupid! This is bigger than any Contest! Their lives are on the line! Your life is on the line!"_

Angie squeezed between Ash and Maylene. She seemed the most indifferent of the call's direction. _By choice_, Ash noticed. "What Ash is trying to say is that he doesn't want you here. For all we know, Team Rocket's got spies on you too. If you try to come here, you'd more than likely catch their attention. You really want to give Ash one more person to worry about?"

…

May's eyes looked spiteful. Spiteful at Angie. Spiteful at herself. Spiteful at the situation. Spiteful at everything.

"… _I'm coming."_ She stated after wiping away a few tears.

"**May! No!"**

Angie threw her arms up. "This is why I said we should've called Dawn!" She wandered away from the phone's camera.

"We can still call her. She might be more willing to listen to warnings." Maylene added.

"May, please…"

"_No, Ash. I'm coming."_ May decided with a determined look. _"And don't you dare call Dawn. She's too trusting. She'll get followed too easily. Just wait for me at Saffron City's airport. I'll be there and I won't be followed."_

"May –"

"_No Ash! Just no! You're not doing this alone! I don't care what you say. You ask anyone else for help, they'll give you what you want and it won't ever be enough! You ask me, and I'm giving it my all, you know that! So either you meet me in Saffron City Airways, or I go hunting for the Rocket base myself!" _**Click.**

_**-Call Ended-**_

Ash sighed as he hung up the phone.

"Well that went better than expected." Angie added sarcastically.

"We can't risk meeting her there. She's going to get followed." Maylene thought hard. "We could probably use her as bait to find out where they take prisoners."

"No." Ash walked from the video phone and searched for the bed. _There it is._

He sat down and faced Maylene. "We're going to wait for her there."

"_You can't be serious."_ She had wanted to scream at him. Already his first contact had refused to work with them properly, and now they were risking everything so early in the game. She had a feeling he had no idea how dire the consequences were.

Ash understood her emotions, but kept to himself. He busied himself by running his fingertips across the surface of the half-ribbon, trying to remember what it looked like when he could see. _May…_

Whatever Ash was going through, _she wanted to go through it with him_.

"I am serious. I trust May. She says she won't get followed, she won't be followed."

At this point, Ash wasn't sure what his relationship with May was anymore. In the beginning, they had been mentor and student. As time went on, she treated him as more of an equal. Yet at this moment, in this situation, he wasn't sure how to see her.

Circumstances required him to treat her as a source and a mercenary… but he couldn't see her in any other way than as _May_.

_**It wasn't so much he trusted May with this…**_

"She doesn't exactly seem the stealthy type." Angie noted as she searched the walk-in closet. "Coordinators are hardly what you call discreet."

"May isn't. But I know she knows what's on the line." Ash stated. "So we wait for her."

_**It was that he wanted to trust her.**_

"And what are we supposed to do until then?" Maylene sighed, having given up on convincing him otherwise.

The pink-haired fighter wasn't sure when Ash had taken over as group leader, but she wasn't in the mood to fight it.

In retrospect, she had no idea what to do after securing Ash from the house. She had no real contacts, no real connections, and no real resources. She was a poor Gym Leader who felt like her peers had pitied her more than respected. This situation was far too big for her…

All she wanted to do now was prove herself… to herself.

"Let's find a lower ranking Team Rocket member." she ordered rather than suggested.

"Wait, I thought you wanted us to lay low?" Angie was getting tired of the constant changing of plans. She was getting tired of the entire mission already. It was all too confusing for her… too complicated, too drastic, and far too problematic. In her eyes, she was just a simple girl.

A simple girl that hadn't been in a hotel room in years, especially in one so nice. The only plan she wanted to hear about today was a plan about 'investigating' the pool or 'reconnaissance' at the buffet. She didn't think these things out of rudeness, but out of fear… This was too big for her. She'd face it gladly with Ash… but this was so different than what she had been used to just several hours before.

Maylene, thinking only about the mission, decided to put on her new clothes: a hat, a jacket, and a pair of shoes Ash had purchased for her that afternoon. "I did want us to lay low. And I still want us to lay low. That's why we find a _lower_ ranking Rocket."

She adjusted her hair to fit comfortably underneath her beret. "Team Rocket, as frighteningly effective as they are as a group, are weak because of how they're built. They're a hierarchy, with the lower ranks being ignored unless enough of them are in trouble."

Angie took Maylene's wearing of new clothes as a sign to get dressed herself. "How the heck are we going to find one?" She grabbed her bags and brought them in with her into the closet.

"If we take the ferry to get to Saffron, then Celadon's along the way." Ash stated as he felt around for his own change of clothes.

"_Celadon…_ didn't you say earlier that we had to avoid that place because it was crawling with Rockets?" Maylene turned away to give Ash some privacy.

"It's also crawling with lower-ranked Rockets." He noted. "Even going through one of the side roads in a forest near the city will run us into at least one."

Angie popped out of the closet just in time to run back in from seeing Ash changing. She blushed hard. "_**Er um…**_ Why can't we just take the road there?"

Maylene answered for Ash, "Trust me, unless you've got bikes for all of us – there's no way we're getting there in less than a day's worth of walking and running."

"And by cab?"

"We were lucky enough to get a cab here that wasn't Rocket-owned." She mentioned with stress. "I do _not_ want to risk that again."

"The ferry's fine. It won't take that long." Ash added. He finished placing on the new clothes Angie had picked them for him. A combination of green and gray colors, something that had blended with his slightly tan skin more than his usual combination of blues and blacks – according to her. Ash knew Angie wasn't a fashionable type, but she assured him that he looked different enough.

_Different enough from what_, he wondered.

With an adjustment, his new hat was worn. They felt _uncomfortable _and _itchy_ – as he always felt with any new hat. He scratched his scalp a bit. "We're going to have to stay in the back though – to make sure we don't draw attention."

"No, we stay in the middle." Maylene had turned and walked over to Ash to help him with his shoes, his previous injuries still preventing him from moving with flexibility. She explained, "Only the poor and the seedy stay in the back. And only the rich and seedy stay in the front. We have no idea if anyone from Team Rocket will be there, but I can assure you they'll more than likely ignore the middle area."

"So first you say we're avoiding Team Rocket." Angie exited the closet far more slowly this time. "Then you say we're trying to find them. Then we're trying to avoid them. We're avoiding them to find them? This is giving me a headache."

"We want to make as minimal contact with them as possible, and we want them isolated." Maylene finished tying and adjusting Ash's shoes for him. "If we get caught on land, we can run. We get caught here in Auburn, which is still too close to Pallet and Viridian for my comfort, we can only backpedal to Fuchsia – which will make us late with our appointment."

She adjusted her shoes just to be sure they were tight. "If we get caught near Celadon, Saffron's close enough to run to… but if we get caught on a ferry, you can bet that there will be Rockets waiting for us on shore."

_So just don't get caught._ Angie concluded to herself.

"Are we ready to go?" Ash asked.

A realization formed in Angie's head. Her eyes widened as a small hum of excitement came from her throat. "This is kind of awesome! _We're like super spies!_"

The Veilstone Gym Leader was going to scold the girl for not taking the situation seriously, but was reminded of something… "Spies usually have code names."

Angie's eyes widened. _"YES!"_

"_**The device points to this room."**_

Ash and the girls shifted their attention to the door.

It busted open with a loud **CRACK**. A man, a woman, and an old man. All Team Rocket.

The old man pushed up his glasses. He laughed to himself with pride. "Giovanni will be quite pleased that the Rocket Tracker works _perfectly_."

Maylene got into stance. "How did they–"

"Here, here, little kitty~!" The woman removed a poké ball from a strange device and pointed it forward.

Espeon, who had awoken from the sudden disturbance, began growling at the trio.

A red light shot from the ball and absorbed the irate creature.

Angie caught on fast. "That's Anabel's poké ball!"

"_Then that means they can track us through poké balls…"_ Maylene hissed as she eyed her surroundings.

It was the man's turn to speak. "I suggest you give up. Every floor is being patrolled by us now." He pulled out a poké ball. "Though, if you want to have some fun first..."

"Lucario! **Now!**"

Maylene's lucario had **smashed **through the restroom door and rammed into the man and woman.

The old man's jaw dropped. "No…_** SOMEONE GET UP HERE!**_" He fumbled to find his radio.

"We need to get out of here!" ordered Maylene. "We'll have to jump from the balcony!"

"_**Wha-What?"**_ Heights had never stopped Ash before… when he could see where he would land or had a pokémon to catch him.

Lucario grabbed the panicked old man and **slammed **him into the Rocket pile.

Maylene moved for the sliding door.

"Wait." Angie pulled out a poké ball. "Do we need to get answers from these goons?"

"**No time!"** The fighter gestured for Lucario to grab Ash.

Once again the boy found himself lifted off the ground. _I hope we don't have to keep doing this…_ Ash grumbled to himself.

"Bibarel!" A Great Ball flew from Angie's hand.

A large beaver-like pokémon appeared in front of the green-haired tomboy.

"What are you–"

"Use Amnesia on those three!"

The bibarel nodded. Its eyes glowed. An orange aura surrounded the three knocked out opponents.

"Great job, Bibarel." She summoned him back into its poké ball.

With a turn and run, Angie had jumped off the balcony without hesitation.

Maylene sprinted towards the trio, snatched the poké ball that carried Espeon, and crushed the Rocket Tracker with a powerful kick.

"**OK** Lucario!" She yelled as she ran and jumped off the balcony. Lucario followed, with Ash in tow.

They passed several floors, with each light from other rooms highlighting their fall.

Ash was panicking. _**"What are we landing on exactly?"**_

The drop stopped suddenly. They hadn't touched the floor.

"Wh-What the –?" Ash wobbled his hands and feet to see if there was any surface that held them aloft.

Slowly, they were placed onto the concrete.

"Good job, Meditite." Maylene nodded towards a bush.

"Meditite?" Ash was let off Lucario's shoulder.

With a** rustle**, a strange humanoid pokémon floated out of the leaves.

Maylene laughed. "_What? _You didn't think we'd just jump off the balcony unless we knew we'd land safely, right Angie?"

Panicked breathing could be heard off to the side. Angie was on her hands and knees, sweating, and clearly spooked. "SPEAK. FOR. YOURSELF." She gasped each word out. "I JUST **JUMPED**!"

Ash stood up and bowed to Meditite in thankfulness. He faced its owner. "So you _knew_ we'd be jumping off the building?"

Maylene shrugged. "Not really. I just like to be prepared for the worst."

The two of them laughed. Both glad to be alive.

"Hate to break up the party…" Angie was standing, patting dirt off her hands. Her eyes were pointed skyward. "But I think our friends know where we are."

Above, several Team Rocket members were looking down in their direction from different balconies. Some were yelling to people behind them, others were shouting orders into walkie-talkies.

"Time to go!" Maylene returned her Meditite into its poké ball and started running.

"Hey wait up!" Ash was about to run, until he was picked up and carried off by Lucario. _This again…_

Angie stuck her tongue out at the would-be captors before turning and sprinting off.

The four escaped into the woods. Leaving panic and anger with their foes.

* * *

><p>The man had been staring at her since she passed him. She had no idea who he was. She had no idea how long he's been aware of her. She had no idea if he followed her. What she did know was that she was scared out of her mind, nervous beyond reckoning, and absolutely unsure of herself at this very moment.<p>

_Would he really try something now? _

Her fingers tapped erratically on her knee. She tried with all her might to come up with a plan, but couldn't get passed her own cloud of fear.

_I need to get out of here!_ Her breaths were getting shorter and shorter.

With a slight stumble, she stood up from her seat and walked briskly to the restroom. Before she could reach the door…

"_Is your name May? The Coordinator?"_

She turned. It was the man.

_Oh no… not here, not in the plane…_

"I'm a big fan!" He smiled.

…

She gave a nervous smile as she exhaled a heavy breath of relief. _Oh thank goodness… just a fan._

"Can I have your autograph?" He pulled out a piece of paper and held it towards her. "_Er…_ I don't have a pen."

May smiled cheerfully and turned to search her purse for a pen. "Oh don't worry about it. I think I have o–"

She paused. Her eyes went wide, tears forming at their edges. Her lips quivered as she couldn't believe what was happening.

_No…_

"_Don't move."_ The man whispered. He adjusted the razor against her neck. _"Or else…"_

He looked around carefully and closed the curtain barriers that separated the restroom from the cabins. _"Open the restroom. Get in."_

Her fingers shook, tears flowing down her eyes.

"_Do it."_ He pressed the razor into her skin, a trickle of blood running down her neck.

_I'm sorry, Ash…_

She turned the plastic lever. The door opened slowly.

**Click.**

"Drop it."

May felt the blade against her neck tremble. The man was shaking.

"Drop it now." The voice commanded again.

May's heart leaped for joy when the razor fell harmlessly to the ground. She turned.

The man had his arms up, visibly frightened as a gun was pointed against his head.

A mysterious woman in a trench coat turned towards her and smiled. "Return to your seat, ma'am."

"_Y-You wouldn't dare!"_ The man stuttered in defiance.

Being slammed into a wall and cuffed was the woman's immediate response for him. "You're right." She lifted her gun, which immediately turned into a ditto and perched itself on her shoulder. "I wouldn't. Gunshot holes and flying airplanes don't mix very well."

She removed her disguise, revealing an airline security Jenny.

"And don't think your partners are coming. We've already got them in custody."

May stared as the once threatening man was now kicking and screaming. **"You can't do this! Do you know who I work for? You'll pay! You'll all pay! Team Rocket never forgives and never forgets!"**

"Shut it." Jenny slapped him across the face, effectively bringing the pathetic man to tears. She looked at May again. "Ma'am, I would very much appreciate it if you returned to your seat."

With a bow of complete thankfulness, the Coordinator ran back to her seat. She hugged her purse tightly like a teddiursa and nearly broke down crying.

The other passengers were gossiping and turning to see the scene play out with the Team Rocket members being hauled to the back by security.

May couldn't believe how close she was to getting captured.

_Or worse…_

She felt a heavy shame weigh on her thoughts.

…

For the rest of the flight she'd question her abilities and usefulness.


	13. Chapter 13 Lies

"_This is quite possibly the worst food I've ever eaten."_ Angie moaned with a sick tone as she chewed.

"_No one's tellin' you to eat it."_ Ash mumbled as he rolled his chin against the table.

She turned and grabbed another toothpicked item from a passing waiter and popped it in her mouth. Once again, her face had shown complete _distaste_ for the taste. _"…but it's free…"_

"_No matter how free it gets, I still think fancy foods taste weird."_ Ash toyed around with the plate of food in front of him.

…

Maylene hadn't spoken once, but Ash had been hearing her **very** loud and clear. Her devastatingly _vibrant personality _was back in full effect as she devoured whatever food came her way… giving him a continuing headache.

She swallowed hard and gasped in pure _delight_. **"Do you guys always travel like this?"** She slapped Ash's back roughly.

He flinched at the sting. _"N-No."_

"I never traveled with Ash until now." Angie admitted.

"Man, if I knew travelling with friends meant you got to try all kinds of food…" Maylene grabbed another tray from a surprised waiter. "I would've given up being a Gym Leader!"

The headache came harder as she had her way with the new food. Ash took off his hat and rubbed his head. "We never really ate this good. Sometimes we'd spend days starving when we ran out of money."

"**Days?** Try weeks and months!" Maylene laughed with that familiar tone of _shame_.

**Loud thumps** rumbled the table as the tomboy stood up suddenly from her seat.

Both Ash and Maylene turned her way in surprise.

"**What's wrong?"** The fighter's mood _changed_ immediately. She glanced around her, _ready for anything_.

Ash, who had been freed from the powerful emotion, joined her in searching for threats with his _Empathy_.

Angie's eyes were wide, her face _serious_. A surprisingly audibleswallow came from her throat. _"That…"_

The two turned towards her again.

"…_was… __**DELICIOUS**__!"_ Angie **slammed** her hands on the table.

Ash and Maylene fell over in response.

The green-haired girl turned and started chasing after the waiter that had given her the sample. _"WAIT! COME BACK!"_

Maylene and Ash shared a laugh.

…

The fighter's mood suddenly quieted. She wasn't touching her food.

"Maylene?"

…

"…_can we fight sometime, Ash?" she_ asked with a voice that was _hardly _cheerful or happy.

"Is something wrong?" he had sat up, trying to _feel _her emotions.

They were _somber and low_.

"…_can we?"_

"Only if you tell me what's wrong." He_ wasn't like himself_, Ash thought. _Or rather, not like what people always expect me to be…_ He had rarely concerned himself with the hidden emotions of a woman. Not for the fact that he didn't care, but for the fact that it was never his business.

This wasn't his business either. But with more on the line, he had felt the need to be closer to his partners on this journey. Nothing short of knocking him out would stop Ash from caring about either of his partners at this point. _…especially after a strange feeling came over him… one that he couldn't quite explain…_

He shook off the thought, returning to the current topic at hand. Maylene was troubled, and he didn't know what to do or say…

_Something was wrong._ That's all he knew. And whether it would affect her performance in the future or not, he didn't care. What he did care about was the fact that she was _distant_. And it was something about that moment. Whatever it was, for whatever reason, from whatever history, it was_ important_.

There was no reason for him to act like a naive boy anymore. All the ones who were used to him were either captured or too far away now. He could_ help _her. He could finally solve all those problems that always caused the _awkward goodbyes_.

Maylene was his friend. She had no reason to help him other than for her own kindness. She didn't have to stay with them, she didn't have to listen to him, and she didn't have to risk her time away from her gym. In every way, she was being a selfless guardian. And he couldn't let her _suffer_ that burden_ silently_.

She sighed.

With a thought, her emotions were starting to_ close up_. And like a foot stopping a door from closing, Ash had grabbed her hand.

"_Ash?"_

A yank of the arm got her on her feet.

"What are you–"

"Come on!"

She was dragged passed the dining hall, through the hallways, and finally to their room. With a quick search and shove, Ash had unlocked their door with the right key. With a heavy swing, he threw her into the room.

"_**Hey!"**_ Maylene shot an angry look at him as she stumbled in. Her face immediately turned pink when he took off his jacket. _**"Wh-What are you doing?"**_

"_I don't know how to talk to you…"_ Ash said as he fixed his gloves. "_I don't know anything about you. And I don't know how to get you to open up._ But I do know you like to fight." He got into a stance.

"So let's fight."

A smirk ran across Maylene's face. Taking off her jacket and cracking her neck, she got into a stance and flexed. "**OK!**"

* * *

><p>She watched the screen change and display the next set of flights.<p>

…

…

_There._

She sighed in relief._ I've got two hours to kill._

"One flight down. Two to go."

She backed away from the wall console and moved her eyes back to the crowd.

They were still there. Unmoving. Unchanging. Still exchanging the same mumbles and shouts. Camera flashes still went off despite there being nothing to catch. And people were still trying to find the perfect angle to witness the entire scene.

May remembered thanking the Jenny of the flight for not allowing her name or picture to be given to the press. By the time any news of her being the almost-victim of an assault, she'd be long gone.

…_if they mentioned me, I'd be stuck in that crowd… answering questions for who knows how long._

She was about to move herself and her bags to the nearest restaurant when the crowd suddenly boomed in commotion.

Yells, arm waves, camera flickers, microphone adjustments, and several electronic devices going live at once.

And then they came… Escorted by several security personnel, a group of nine Team Rocket members dressed like everyday passengers were herded passed by the crashing waves of press associates and freelance journalists. Each one looked different from the other, as if each was specialized for something horridly sinister that the other could have never touched. Seeing them sent chills down her spine.

Then those chills turned her blood into ice.

As one, they tilted their head up and glared at her. They all knew their target; they all knew her name, her face, and probably everything she had ever done in her life. They knew who May was. And they knew where May was going. And they knew who May was going to meet. As they were moved, their heads followed her. Each of them had a different expression: hatred, indifference, frustration, sorrow, curiosity, insane glee, professional analysis, envy, and disgust.

She felt as _cornered_ and as _lost_ as she had felt when the razor had touched her skin. As a reaction, she rubbed her neck where the blade had pierced. The pain and mark was gone, but an irritation remained.

Noticing her discomfort, the man who had given her the mark gave her a terrifying smile. Her body told her to _scream and run_, to just _go and never come back_. But her mind kept her still. Her mind kept her standing. Her mind kept her staring. She _hated _her mind; she had seen it as the one who kept her in the prison of her weaknesses.

If it weren't for the fact that she had been standing directly behind the crowd of news figures, someone may have noted who exactly they were staring at. But for now, she was just a lone entity behind a swarm of energy. They could have been looking at any one of them – and the fact that she knew that she was their object of their fascination, made her feel sick in the stomach.

An abnormally bright flash had come from an old camera – temporarily blinding everyone that had stared in its direction. Their gaze was broken, and the nine became individuals once again. Some turned away, some tilted their heads to get their 'good side' for a photo, some cursed into the crowd, and others struggled to break free.

May's gaze was broken as well. She blinked and shook her head, trying to rid of those scarring fears.

Picking up her bag, she walked over to a chair that was facing the large window gallery.

She sat and stared up into the clouds through the glass…

_May… what are you doing?_ She began to scold herself. An action that had become a custom for her.  
><em>You can't do this… you're a Coordinator, not a Trainer…<br>You're not even that great of a Coordinator. Average, lucky, and nothing special…_

_Why did you come here? Did you really think you could make a difference?  
>This is so much bigger than you. You should've just sent Ash the pokémon he wanted…<br>You could've died up there._

_You should've died.  
>You're so stupid.<br>It would've been better for you to die and no longer be a problem for Ash…  
>…rather than being another victim that he'll probably have to save too.<em>

_Ash… I'm so sorry…_

Tears were welling up in her eyes.

_No, don't cry again. Stop being weak. Stop being pathetic. I hate this. I hate you!_

She crumpled her bag, trying to tear it to pieces with her frustration. As she did, her baggage's zipper had broken.

… _really, May?_ **Sigh.**

Trying to fix the zipper, she had accidentally opened the zipper from the wrong side. She cursed to herself silently and continued trying to repair it.

_Gold._

Her hands and eyes stopped moving.

_Gold?_

She turned her eyes to one of the tears. From the tear, she could see the golden piece of an object. She pulled it out slowly.

It was a ribbon. Or rather, half of one. As a whole, it was a pink and white ribbon, with a golden sun as its centerpiece. A ribbon she had earned in an unofficial tournament. She had tied in first place with Ash, and they decided to split it in half – one for each to keep. _The Terracotta Ribbon_. It was her good luck charm. _It still is my good luck charm_. It was meant to remind her to go forward and become a better Coordinator. _It still does_. And it was supposed to remind her what was on the line.

…_what's on the line…_

_Ash is waiting for me. Ash needs me._

_I'm not the best Coordinator, but I know I'm a darn good one! I'm not the best backup Ash can get, but I'm no pushover either!_

A woman was sitting next to her, quite amused with her dramatic expressions.

"That's quite a lovely ribbon you have there… _May._"

Her eyes widened.

The woman moved her face next to hers, her lips just inches from her ear. _"There were __**ten**__ of us on that plane."_ she hissed in delight.

May was about to _shake_, about to _panic_, about to _break_, about to _falter_…

She grasped the half-ribbon in her hand.

"**NO YOU DON'T!"** May roared. She grabbed a row of connected recliners, and with inhuman fury, she lifted them above her head. **"YOU GET OUT OF HERE OR I'LL CLOBBER YOU!"**

The cool-eyed woman was now cowering in terror. _**"Y-Yes ma'am!"**_

She stood, bowed apologetically, and ran away as fast as she could.

Breathing heavily, May slowly calmed herself, dropping the seats back to their original position.

Patting her hands and lifting her bag, she walked off to the nearest restaurant – ignoring the frightened stares of waiting passengers.

…

_Once I get there, I swear I'll beat the crap out of that 'Maylene'. _She sneered.

_I'm the only 'May' in Ash's life._

* * *

><p>Angie had noticed that the door was slightly ajar.<p>

She heard heavy breathing coming from two people inside.

Kicking the door open she finally found who she had been looking for.

"**WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?"**

With _fury_ in her eyes, she stompedinside and **slammed **the door behind her.

Ash and Maylene were facing her with blank looks. The two were on the floor, with items sprawled about, and their clothes torn in several places. Bruises and cuts made the scenery far more understandable, but the bite marks were something _else_ entirely.

Angie's eyes twitched. She knew full well what was going on, but what _else_ might have happened was making her _infuriated_.

"_Oh h-hey Anj!"_ Ash said sheepishly. A green hat covered his face – quieting him from continuing.

"There's your stupid hat! You left it at the table after you guys **DITCHED ME**!"

"_Wuh wi duhn ahully diched hyu. Dhu fuht lhuthded lohnguh thuhn wi dhot!_" He stated with sophistication from underneath the hat.

"_What he meant to say,"_ Maylene uttered weakly, _"was that we were going to come back for you after a quick spar… but we got a bit carried away." _She lifted herself slowly off the ground and sat against the bed frame. The mattress itself was across the room, leaning on the wall.

The tomboy pulled a toothpick from her pocket and started chewing it.

Not knowing what to do with the two, she stormed out of the room – **slamming** the door behind her. _"Do WHATEVER you guys want! If you need me I'll be in the casino!"_ her voice echoed metallically against the door.

"Isn't she too young to gamble?" Maylene asked with effort.

Ash, with a continuing case of hat-face, shrugged.

The two stayed in their spots without moving an inch. Tired breaths were starting to slow and sweat was starting to dry. Pain, however, became more apparent as time went on.

…

Ash threw his hat towards Maylene.

She caught it and wore it in a mocking manner.

"So what's up?"

"Nothing much." She answered _happily_.

"No, I meant earlier."

"…oh."

He shuffled himself slowly towards her. "If you honestly don't want to t–"

"I had a lot of fun, Ash."

…

"_Is…_ something wrong with that?" he asked unknowingly.

Maylene's pink eyes looked down guiltily at her hands. "_I…_ I honestly don't know what I'm doing here, Ash."

The young man sat up, adjusting his back against a drawer to face her.

"_What I mean to say is…_" She rotated her body to face him directly. "I don't know why I left Sinnoh. I know I told you that I came here to train, and that's partially true. _But…_"

Her shoulders dropped, as if she had _given up_ hope. "_I don't know what I'm doing._ Becoming a Gym Leader was like a dream come true, especially after you and the others cheered me up from my defeat against Paul. _Now…_

"I don't know. I'm not feeling it anymore. I don't know why, but I'm tired of being a Gym Leader. I'm tired of being in Veilstone City. And I'm tired of being in Sinnoh. I thought that a break from it would be for the best. But it's been two months."

She fell over to one side, defeated by her own mood. "**Two Months.** And I still don't want to go back. I don't ever want to go back. People respect me there, people treat me right there. But whenever I see a challenger from a different region… _I get jealous_. Here I've been training for years to be a great Trainer… and I become a Gym Leader… _Who could ask for more than that?_

"…_apparently I could._ I'm ungrateful. People worked so hard to get me to become a Gym Leader. I had so many supporters, so many people cheering me on… but now it just feels so_ distant_. Almost _fake_, even. And now just because I get cabin fever in my own region, I'm dropping everything they ever worked for… proving that **I'm** the fake. **I'm** the one that's distant. They should've _never_ wasted their time on me!"

**BMF.** Her fist dentedthe wall.

"And here I am, on a ship to pick up a friend of yours, on a crazy suicide mission to save your family and friends – who I don't even know. And…_ I'm having fun. I'm… feeling satisfied._ _Accomplished_. I'm feeling alive. More alive than I've ever felt in my entire life. And I just feel… _ashamed._"

She raised her head and faced Ash, _pleading_ with her eyes for an answer.

Ash had been looking at her, into her emotions. It felt_ blocky, confusing, and draining_. She didn't know how to express herself well with _feelings_ – which is what made it easy for her to hide them. But during the fight, he could feel _all _her emotions _**louder **_and far _clearer _than he normally could. _She spoke with her fist, not her mouth._

Her mouth had been lying. _She didn't see herself as a brat, or as ungrateful. She was beyond grateful, beyond appreciative. She didn't tire of her home, she loved it._

Her fists told the truth. _She saw herself as weak, as undeserving. Despite all that she had been through, she never thought it was enough. She wanted to get stronger, more worthy for the people that had helped her get where she was in life – even if she no longer knew where they were._

But there was _something __**else**_…

"You want a reason to fight." Ash concluded.

She turned away from him.

"You want to earn what they gave you." he pushed.

She stood, ready to leave.

He grabbed her ankle. "You want to prove your worth."

A fist shot at him. He grabbed her by the elbow and bent it, stopping the momentum. _Her fists were speaking for her again_. She had no idea how to say what she was feeling. It felt _strange_. She didn't want him to _know_. Nothing in her emotions explained _why_ she felt that way.

Ash was knocked to the ground by a kick to the head.

_No! What am I doing?_ She reached down to help him up.

A kick nearly hit her head. Ash had spun into a crouch, launching himself seconds after into a tackle. His shoulder met her chest, ramming her into a wall.

**THOD.** Her back, still with fresh scars, had stung against the cold metal. _What's he…_

"Stop thinking!" He yelled as he thrust his fist towards her stomach.

She caught it, twisting him at the wrist. Her eyes focused on him in a cat-like manner.

Using her other arm, she swung an elbow down on his head. He twisted his body and used his back to pin her to the wall. She growled.

_Knee to back of knee.  
>Chin lock to neck. Push down.<br>Wrist strike to stomach. Grab belt and lock.  
>Twist elbow and place on head-side. Shift body weight. Slam to floor.<br>Strike below belly with three knuckles._

She stood above Ash. Kicking him to ensure he _stayed_ down.

…

Maylene's eyes unfocused, realizing what she had done. **"Ash!"**

He coughed spittle in response.

"No!** I'm so sorry!** I don't know wha–" A finger reached her lips.

Ash was smiling.

_Why is he…_

Her eyes widened. For some reason, Maylene had felt _better. Satisfied. Why…_

She stared at Ash with _infatuation. Why am I feeling this…_

"_You're welcome." _he barely managed to say.

Without figuring out how, Maylene's questions were answered, her shame given pride, and her dishonor avenged. She felt _confident and resolute. Ready…_

Looking at the room, she recognized her _frustrations _and _concerns _plastered everywhere. Ash had been _fighting alongside her_, to fight _herself_. His last attack had made her face what she wanted to _run from_. She _feared arrogance_ and found _safety in humiliation_. The fight had allowed her to face both sides and _**balance **_them.

The fighter stared at her hands. One was balled into a fist, the other was open. A symbol of something she couldn't put into words, but explained everything clearly to her.

A tear had fallen from her cheek. _I was… crying?_

Maylene hadn't remembered when the last time she cried. _Years, at least…_

There were no more tears, these were the last ones. The ones she tried to hide from herself. The ones she never wanted to face or admit. And as they dried against her hands, she felt complete relief.

Her eyes rested on Ash. He was slowly fading out of consciousness.

"I owe you one, you crazy guy."

"_O…K…"_ he muttered.

She smiled endearingly.

* * *

><p>Angie returned to the room. Her trip to the casino relieved some stress and even gave her some jubilation with her earnings… yet she still dreaded what she might find in the room.<p>

…

_Whatever, I'm too tired to care…_

She opened the door, expecting the worst.

"_What in the what?"_ she mumbled audibly.

The room was spotless. No clutter. No mess. No scratches. No scrapes. Mattresses were fitted back into their bed frames, tables and lamps were placed in areas where they were needed, and even the clothes and bags were placed neatly to the side. In a fashion, the room looked far better now compared to when they first booked it.

Ash was sitting up on the bed, fading in and out of sleep.

"_Ash? What are you still doing up?"_ she whispered loudly.

"_Maylene… said… I shouldn't sleep. Had… concussion."_ each word was accented by a snore.

She walked up to him and massaged his neck. _"How long ago was that?"_

"_Three… hours?"_

He was patted on the head. _"Go ahead, you can sleep now."_

Without lying down, he had fallen asleep. Snoring loudly in a sitting position.

Angie wrapped the blanket around him. _Silly…_

She crawled up the bunk and readied herself for bed.

"_Wait a minute…"_

Browsing the room with her eyes and peaking down corners, Angie realized something.

"…_where's Maylene?"_

* * *

><p>"What are you looking at?"<p>

"HUH? **Why you!** Stay still!"

Maylene dodged the incoming baton and struck two hard blows against the Team Rocket member's face.

"You're a tough one, aren't ya'?" the fighter complimented.

He spit blood out of his mouth and reached behind him.

With a grin, Maylene pulled up a belt. "Looking for these?" His poké balls were attached to them.

"Why you dirty little–"

Lucario appeared in front of the man, its arms crossed.

"If you really wanted a pokémon battle…" She cracked her knuckles. "You should've just asked. **Lucario!**"

"_**NO WAIT WAIT WAI–" **_

* * *

><p>"All it says is <em>'Gone for Business. BRB.'<em>" Angie folded the paper and placed it back on the desk where she found it.

Ash was still bobbing his head in order to stay awake, making him appear as if he were nodding to her every comment and conversation.

"Where do you think she went?" The tomboy was tired, but she wasn't ready to sleep knowing that one of them was somewhere on the boat during curfew hours.

"_Mmhmm._" is all Ash managed to reply with.

Angie stared at him… figuring out ways to wake him up.

…

Ash's consciousness faded back in, its dream state being a fuzzy memory that tried dragging him back.

Something was extremely close to his face this time_. Air touching his lips. In and out… in and out…_ _**BREATHING?**_

"_Ash…"_ a voice filled with _yearning _vibrated against his lips, _so close that they were almost touching_.

"**ANGIE?**" Ash stood up, only to **smash** his head against the top bunk. "**OW!** CRAP!"

Angie began laughing hard.

"**WHAT WAS THAT FOR?**" he exclaimed as he continued rubbing the new bump on his head.

"I didn't think you'd get so _excited_." Angie teased.

He kicked in her direction, obviously missing.

"Now that you're awake, we need to talk about Maylene's note."

Ash slowly crawled away from the bed before standing up. "_What note?_"

"Maylene's gone." Angie let the phrase hang in the air before continuing, "She just left a note saying she was handling some _business_."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go find her!"

He was yanked back to the floor before being able to reach for the door.

"There are three-hundred rooms, a large banquet hall, several faculty rooms, and probably gigantic hallways in the basement." The tomboy stated each point as if she knew them for a fact. "Where in the **world** do we start?"

"…_outside_?"

A **smack** to his new head mark had him quiet.

"Look, I sent Shinx out to look for her. He'll be able to travel quieter and faster than us."

"_Then why'd you wake me up?_" He rubbed his head in distress.

"Because I was wondering if **you** knew where she went."

"Well I obviously don't. _So…_ can I go back to sleep?"

She waved him off. "_Yeah yeah_, get your beauty sleep. I'll wait for news from Shinx."

Ash stumbled back into the bed and wrapped himself in the blanket.

…

…

"_Hey Ash…"_ Angie had whispered almost to the point of being inaudible.

He rolled over to face her. "Yeah?"

"…remember when just a few days ago… we were just hanging out at the house all the time?"

"Yeah…"

"Those were fun days."

Ash sighed. He remembered how much everyone was depending on them right now – and how every day they spent searching for help, another day was added to whatever his mother and the rest had to endure. He felt _sick_, the weight of responsibility and urgency poisoning his emotional health.

He didn't want to think about older days… They would only remind him of what he had lost…

"Remember the day before the attack?" Angie continued.

Though he didn't want to reminisce… Angie's voice had comforted him and led him to follow whatever emotion she held. With a soft sigh, the Trainer played with a loose end of his blanket, letting his body find distraction as his mind wandered to a day that seemed like an eternity ago.

"_Yeah…_ Misty cooked that morning."

"It was awful."

The two laughed casually.

"Remember when Anabel tripped down the stairs?" Angie added with a giggle.

"And how she tried to play it off like nothing happened?"

"And when Mr. Mime kept making fun of her throughout the day?"

"And how I totally beat you in a card match!"

"You cheated! Both Misty and Anabel were helping you!"

"Only because you used the mirror behind me to look at my cards!"

"Like you couldn't see my cards with your Empathy!"

"Not unless you made it obvious in your emotions."

"You didn't have to peak."

"I can't help it."

"That's your excuse every time."

"Well I would've learned to control it if you weren't always making me paranoid with your daily pranks."

"I stopped doing that!"

"Then why did you keep knocking off my hat?"

"That was Misty!"

"You _always_ blame Misty."

"Because Misty keeps trying to get me in trouble!"

"What about that time when you really were the one that replaced my drink with soy sauce and you blamed Misty!"

"Well that was a classic."

"You jerk."

"You're the jerk."

"Great comeback."

"Thanks. I try."

…

…

Angie frowned. She knew how hard this was for Ash. And she knew that bringing up those memories would only cause him to become more depressed over time and cause him to gain more present stress. But she hated how fast this was all going… she hated where they were now as opposed to where they were just a few days ago.

It all felt so unreal.

Sighing, Angie sat on Ash's bed and patted his foot. _"We'll get them back…"_

"…_I know."_

…

He sat up from his position, curled up, leaning his head between his knees. "Why were you outside my window that morning?"

"…_I couldn't sleep that night._ I was taking a stroll… _and…_ _that's when I saw two men forcing Anabel into a bag._ I was going to stop them, but then…_ there were more of them._ So much _more_ of them. It was like some kind of a small army.

"I snuck passed one group before the next group came…" Angie adjusted herself uncomfortably. "I was trying to find a way into the house to wake you up… but they were already going through every door and window on the first floor. _So…_ I climbed up to the roof, and then down to your window."

"_Mm…_" Ash nodded, his question answered.

As he thought, more questions came to mind. He honestly had no want to think back to what happened that night, but the more he considered it, the more he realized how it felt…_ too fast… too perfect… too sudden_. He wanted more answers. He needed more answers. _It was the only way any of this could feel real for the both of them…_

"Did you see anything else? Any vehicles? Anything to show how they'd escape unnoticed?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. If they had any cars or trucks, they weren't near your house. Maylene would've seen one, right?"

"_She didn't say anything about one…"_

"But why would they march from Viridian City? That's a long road from Pallet…" Angie tapped her chin inquisitively. "…either Maylene's hiding something, or Giovanni's got guts to march with an army to your place without even trying to hide it."

"That just seemed weird. Normally Team Rocket works in small groups." Ash scratched the back of his ear, trying to piece things together in his head. "That was… too _sudden_. Too _quick_. And too _many_ at once." he voiced his earlier concerns.

"Well Maylene _did_ say they were probably high-ranking Team Rocket members. If they really wanted to take you in, they more than likely didn't want to try their normal tricks – especially since you've probably been known to escape or beat them when they go in small groups." She gestured her hand like an explosion. "Just **boom**. Strike with the best and with little warning. It definitely would've taken us off-guard…" _Thank goodness I saw it…_

"But it doesn't make sense, how did no one notice them walking into town? You guys keep saying that there were _so_ many of them, but wouldn't _someone_ have noticed them?"

…

"_I don't know…_ I don't even know how I didn't see them until they caught Anabel. I know I would've at least _heard_ that many people walking."

"…and Anabel would've definitely woken up with _that many_ emotions suddenly appearing."

"Hey Ash… how come _you_ didn't sense them coming either?"

"… _I… I don't know._" Ash realized. He thought back to the memory. Not once did he feel _any_ emotion. Not once did he sense _danger_ other than from Angie. "It's like they were…

"…_invisible._"

"_What? What's wrong?_" Angie gripped onto the bed frame, seeing Ash's sudden reaction and feeling the anxiety in the air.

"Maylene…" _I might be assuming too much, but…_ "…I can't feel her at times. Like she's _invisible_."

"_You don't think she's…"_

**Footsteps.**

_Someone's coming._

Ash pulled Angie into bed with him, covering her in the blanket with him.

"What are you doing?" she growled in irritation, though her face was pink with blush.

"_Shhh… just watch for me._" Ash lifted the blanket slightly, allowing Angie to take a peak.

The door opened at a cautiously slow pace. It **creaked** the whole way through.

A white boot stepped into the room. As it slithered the rest of its body in, it was apparent that it was carrying something on its shoulder, and dragging something large with the other hand.

Finally, the person came into view. With a black bodysuit, matching white gloves and utility belt, a red _'R'_ emblem, and a black beret to complete the uniform – there was no doubt that it was a member of Team Rocket. Except…

_Pink hair!_

Maylene dragged the large bag and tossed it into the closet. _Something's moving in there!_

On her shoulder, she placed a knocked out shinx onto the floor. _SHINX!_

Finally, another figure came in. Her accomplice, Lucario, had shut the door behind him silently.

Ash couldn't feel Maylene, but he felt Lucario, and he also _definitely felt_ what Angie was _feeling_.

"_On three, I'll go after Maylene, you take care of Lucario… and try to get a pokémon to block the door."_ he whispered as low as he could.

Lucario's ear twitched to the sound. Ash _noticed_.

"**THREE!"**

The two trainers launched out of the blankets in a speed that would've surprised anyone. The boy rolled onto the floor and ran for a tackle towards Maylene. The girl launched a poké ball from her hand before touching the floor. **Click. Vacuum.**

"**BIBAREL! BLOCK THE DOOR!"**

In a glow of red, the large Beaver Pokémon appeared, pressing its weight against the door.

Angie struck a punch towards the blue jackal.

The surprise attack fell after being countered, and the two trainers were quickly put into submission on the floor.

"**What do you two think you're doing?" **Maylene yelled down at Ash as her leg pressed against his neck.

Angie, being pressed onto her stomach by a lucario sitting on her back, growled, _"What do you think you're doing working with Team Rocket?"_

"I'm not–"

She looked down at her clothes.

"Oh _this_. No, you got it all wrong!"

Looking towards her pokémon, Angie commanded, "Keep that door blocked Bibarel! They're not getting out of here without a fight." She continued to struggle under the unexpectedly heavy lucario.

"Maylene." Ash caught her attention with a neutral pitch. "Why are you wearing that uniform?"

"Because she's a Rocket! I thought we just said that!" the tomboy hissed.

"I'm not a Rocket!" Maylene's emotions suddenly opened. Feeling _cornered _and _betrayed_.

"Then _why _are you wearing that uniform?" Ash said with an effort to hide any accusatory tones.

"I got this off a lower-ranking Rocket that was out on patrol! **I swear!**"

"Then why **knock out Shinx**? Why sneak in like you **didn't want to get caught**? And why tell us not to attack any Rockets on the ship and **do it yourself**?" Angie's temper was skyrocketing.

"_I… I…"_

Ash could sense Maylene starting to falter. _She wasn't good with words_, that much he knew. To answer so many accusations and misunderstandings at once had put her into a _flee_ reaction. She was going to run, she didn't know why, but_ she wanted to run_.

Ash wasn't going to let her. "Calm down, Anj. We just misunderstood."

Maylene's eyes snapped out of its panic. They focused on Ash.

She got off him slowly.

Ash sat up, massaging his neck.

"What do you mean_**misunderstood**_?" Angie hissed. "It's **clear** as day! You said it _yourself_ that you couldn't read her like you couldn't read the Rockets at your house!"

Maylene was _hurt_. She looked back at Ash with _depressed curiosity_.

The fighter was feeling _vulnerable, scared,_ and _alone_. Ash didn't know if any words would calm down Angie at this point. But he had to if he was going to prevent Maylene from regressing in her emotional state.

He could feel the honesty from Maylene's emotions, and how she _genuinely _meant nothing of ill will towards any of them. If she were lying to him now, she would have been an amazing liar. But Ash wanted to trust her…

Crawling towards the closet, Ash felt for the bag and opened it.

A man's head popped out. He was shouting inaudibly, with Maylene's old bandages covering his eyes and mouth, as well as tied around his wrists and ankles. The man was clearly naked other than for his underwear, and his body was covered in bruises.

Angie tilted her head to look. She wasn't sure what to make of it – as she had no idea who the man was.

Ash felt around the man's head and removed the bandages that wrapped around his mouth.

"**YOU DIRTY WITCH! I'LL KILL YOU! WAIT UNTIL MY TEAM HEARS OF THIS! THEN YOU'LL HAVE THE ENTIRE TEAM ROCKET ORGANIZATION BREATHING DOWN YOUR NECK! YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO SLEEP, NEVER BE ABLE TO D**_**– MMPH! MRPH!**_" Ash had covered his mouth again with the bandages and shoved his head back into the bag.

"There's your evidence." Ash shrugged.

Angie looked away. _Unsure_ what to feel.

Lucario rolled off her, letting her sit up.

"_I…"_ Maylene tried to find the right words. "…wanted to pay you guys back for all the help you've given me. If it weren't for your friendships…" She gave an _emotion_ directed towards Ash. "_I would've never found peace with myself… _so I decided to catch a Team Rocket member and get the information we needed from him… this way, we don't have to risk stopping by Celadon City now. We can just head straight to Saffron after reaching the port."

"Ash said he couldn't sense the Rockets that had attacked his home that night…" Angie sat with an unapologetic attitude. She returned Bibarel back to his ball and placed it back in her pocket. "…he said he can't sense you in the same way. Care to explain?"

"I don't…_ I really don't know…_ but I don't think it's the same reason why he can't sense the Team Rocket members that were at his house. I felt a strange feeling off them too… or rather, from their pokémon." She rubbed her arms as if she were cold. "They felt… _wrong. Just wrong._"

Ash moved over to Maylene's side and rubbed her back, trying to calm her. She was beginning to show a slight mistrust towards the two of them, and he did his best to repair her broken trust. This wasn't the time and place to have doubts between teammates, when they were all they had in this terrible event.

"_What information did you get?"_ he asked with a soothing tone.

"…I couldn't get everything I wanted." The fighter's somber mood turned professional, noticing Ash's attempt to pull her back to a stable condition. "But I did get something _very _valuable."

Angie turned her way, too curious to continue her sour mood – though still unwilling to apologize.

"…there's tunnels. _Everywhere. _Underground tunnels." She pointed downwards. "Team Rocket uses them to get to places faster than any surface form of travel. Some of them have trains, some of them have roads for vehicles, and I've heard some of them have teleporter tech."

"How much money do they need to build that kind of stuff?" The tomboy's golden eyes widened in _disbelief_.

"_I have no idea._ But it just goes to show that Team Rocket has the resources and manpower to control Kanto easily… and these tunnels are spreading to other regions. If left unchecked, we'll all be in big trouble."

"What about my mom and the others?" Ash had stopped massaging her back. His mood turned _serious_, and his voice lowered notably deeper… The news given had only reminded him of the dire mission ahead of them, causing him to focus only on what mattered most.

"I'm sorry Ash, but I don't know." Maylene sighed, _disappointed _in herself. "Unless we find one of the people who were at your house that day – we more than likely won't be able to find them."

"Why not?" he asked with frustrated patience.

"There are_ hundreds_ of bases on and underneath Kanto. The man I captured had no idea which base was designated for what – he only knew his base and his job. And the upper-ranks of Team Rocket keep to themselves. No one except for the individuals themselves knows what missions or positions the upper-ranks hold. It's like they build up like a hierarchy, but split off into their own organizations at the top."

Ash was quiet. Squeezing his fists.

"Ash, _I'm sorry…_" The roles were suddenly reversed. She felt as if she were the one at fault, and the Trainer being the one betrayed. Her information wasn't enough, even after everything she had risked to obtain it.

_It's not your fault _was his answer, but he couldn't get himself to say it. He was no longer in the mood to stall. They had been eating too much time with all that they were going through… _We're just wasting time here…_

…

"Let's get some rest first." Maylene suggested wearily, unsure how to answer Ash's growing stress. "We'll be hitting port in a few hours… we'll need as much energy as possible if we're travelling by foot to Saffron."

"You goin' out in that costume?" Angie asked quizzically as she stared at the Rocket uniform.

"**Oh** right." She pulled at her bodysuit, feeling its fabric. "I was just wearing this in case anyone caught me out there… I think I'll keep it in case we need it in the future."

"I don't think I've ever seen any Team Rocket goons wearing a body suit. They usually wear pants or skirts. That uniform might just be for the ones who work here."

Maylene shrugged, undressing and placing the body suit and accessories into the bag anyways.

"_Ugh!_" Angie turned away quickly. "Tell me when you're undressing!"

Ash's face blushed as he crawled his way back to the bed in a hurry. His earlier sour mood becoming crushed under the weight of… _certain thoughts_. _STOMP_

"_Hm_? …we're both girls. What's wrong with that?" Maylene looked at Angie with curiosity.

"I don't think _anyone_ should be comfortable undressing in front of others." the tomboy stated plainly. "One's body is _their_ business and their _spouse's_."

"My my, aren't you the saint." Maylene giggled. She replaced her clothes and crawled into her sleeping bag. "I'm done changing, by the way."

Angie cursed under her breath. _…she's so skinny. And her hips pop out so much… I wonder if Ash likes skinny girls like that._

She climbed the ladder and landed in her bed with a thump. _I mean… at least I have a larger chest. But… Would he like my hips? …I wonder if he'd find my underwear cute… all of mine are way too much like a guy's… should I… shop around?_

As she wrapped the blankets around her shoulders, her eyes immediately closed, falling asleep faster than she had expected.

…

Ash's face was red. Angie's private thoughts weren't so private to an untrained Empathic such as himself. He was now wide awake… and couldn't get his mind clear no matter how hard he tried.

_I just wanted to sleep…_ **sigh.**


	14. Chapter 14 Perspectives

"_Ash, hurry up! It's going to take us another day to get to Saffron if you keep walking that slow!"_ Angie was waving her arms frantically down the road.

**Huff. Huff. Huff.** Ash stomped his way through the dirt path. His body was tired and completely drained. _"Sleeeep…"_ he groaned.

"I told you to get some sleep." Maylene quickly said as she continued to jog circles around him. Her constant orbit didn't help Ash at all, who had found her rotating emotions to be hypnotic. "Do you want me to get lucario to carry you again?"

Ash wanted to say _'Yes.'_ He wanted to give in and let the blue jackal be his portable bed. But his pride wouldn't let him. _**"No!"**_ Straightening out his back, he began his jog. Maylene jogged beside him.

"Finally." Angie loosened her muscles and jogged alongside the two. "Hey Maylene."

"Yeah?"

"You never answered my question last night."

"Which one?"

"Why did you knock out my shinx?"

"Oh that. I thought it was the Rocket's backup. I had no idea you had a shinx."

"I had no idea you had a Bibarel." Ash joined in the conversation.

"Well I did say I went off on my own journey, you'd think that's something you'd ask first."

"Sorry, I was a little preoccupied _being blind_ for the first time in my life."

"You've been blind for a long time now. You could've asked me anytime."

"Hey, you never asked me what pokémon _I_ had."

Maylene added, "And no one asked me what pokémon _I_had."

Angie went first, "_I_ have Shinx, Bibarel, and Kricketot."

"I have Lucario, Meditite, Machoke, and Tyrogue." the fighter stated.

"_Whoah!_ You have a Tyrogue, Maylene?" Ash's face sparked with excitement.

She smiled with pride. "Sure do! The little guy loves to train!"

"Why don't you let him out to jog with us?" Angie was excited to see the pokémon herself.

"OK." Maylene smiled and pulled out a poké ball. "Go Tyrogue!"

Red light flashed and burst onto the ground in front of them. _"TYROGUE!"_ the pink, humanoid pokémon shouted out.

The trio stopped and welcomed the new face.

"Say 'hi' to my friends, Tyrogue!" Maylene pointed to each of her companions. "This one's Angie."

"Nice to meet you!" She held out her hand for a high-five. Which only prompted the powerful baby pokémon to sniff her wrist in curiosity. A sweat-drop appeared on Angie's head as she laughed at his confusion.

"Sorry, he hasn't met much people." Maylene apologized with a chuckle. "And Tyrogue, this one's Ash. He likes to fight, just like us!"

"Hey there little guy!" Ash held out his hand. _Hm? Uh oh…_

The tyrogue, after hearing his master's mention of this man's interest in fighting – had mistaken Ash's attempted handshake as a battle stance. It got into a stance of its own, ready to show its strength.

"No wait! I don't want to fight! _Aaaaaahhh!_"

"Tyrogue! Tyrogue! Tyrogue!"

Ash had dodged the first strikes and started running from him. It chased after Ash, seeking to finish the battle.

Maylene scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "_Yeah…_ he also tends to pick fights with anything that looks like a challenge."

Angie sighed. "Well at least they're running the right direction."

The two continued their methodical jog side-by-side.

…

"So Angie. I heard you used to work in a Day Care Center with your parents."

"Yep, did so for most of my life."

"What made you want to go out travelling?"

She considered it for a second and answered simply, "Ash, actually."

Maylene gave her a smirk. "Chasing boys, huh?"

Angie's face blushed. "No, not like that. I just spent a summer with him at a camp."

"_Go on~…_"

"Not like that!" Her faced turned a deeper shade of pink. "He just told me all of his stories and adventures in his journey to be a Pokémon Master. _And man…_ they sounded awesome. I wanted to go out and have my own. …of course, the parents weren't too keen on that idea."

"Why not? It's perfectly normal for a kid to go out adventuring when they come of age. As long as you've got your pokémon and they've got you, there's nothing to worry about."

"Nah. My parents were always worry warts. That, and they wanted me to take over the Day Care business. So I had to keep working there to learn all its ins-and-outs."

The gym leader snickered at the sight of Ash being chased around a tree by Tyrogue. She turned her attention back to Angie and paced herself to her speed. "How did you ever convince them?"

"…_I…_ told them that I'd run the day care with Ash."

Maylene stopped in her tracks. _**"WHAT?"**_

Angie's face was red. She hid it by turning away and continued her jogging. A nervous laugh came from her lips.

Maylene ran to catch up. "Wait wait, you told them you'd run it **with Ash**? Like a business partner or something?"

"Oh no no. That business is a family business _only_. No outside financers or workers as long as my dad still breathes."

"_Then that means…"_

"Yeah, it kinda' does." the tomboy said quickly as she quickened herself, trying to rid of that strange feeling in her stomach.

"So you _**are **_out chasing boys!"

"No, I'm not! That was just my excuse for my parents to let me go."

"And yet you were training in **the same region** as him. Mhmm, _just an excuse_."

"Hey, he's the foreigner. Technically he was training in **my** region."

"So… you weren't planning on travelling with Ash?"

"_N-Not really…"_

"Or training to be strong enough to beat him in a match? To win over his heart?"

"_Wh-What?_ _**N-No!**_"

"Or maybe you were always going to come in and save the day when he really needed it! Making you his big hero~!"

"_Y-_You watch too many movies…" Angie's face was red hot. "I was just going to train and see if I could get to the League. Have my own adventures, my own experiences. That's it. That's all."

Maylene crossed her arms and ran backwards in front of the blushing tomboy. "So you weren't hoping **what-so-ever** that you would run into him again?"

She avoided eye contact. _"Maybe a little…"_

The tomboy found it very uncomfortable to talk about her feelings for Ash with people other than Anabel or Ash himself… it was a private matter that no one else really had the business of knowing. Especially not a young woman as forward as Maylene, who would've only put obvious thoughts into her mind.

"_A little_?" The fighter blinked. "**Ha!** That's adorable!"

Angie ran passed her.

In truth, she wanted to hit her across the face for ever calling her actions_ "adorable"_. _Ash and Angie do not make a "adorable" couple. …if anything, we make a… an awesome couple… or something._ Her stomach started feeling sickeningly _floaty_.

"Honestly," Maylene caught up with her again. "I had no idea you had a thing for Ash before all this. I honestly thought you two were brother and sister."

"Yeah, we get that a lot." She sighed, that wasn't such an obvious truth. "A lot of people at the Summer Academy thought we were related somehow. I guess it's because of how comfortable we were around each other."

Maylene thought to herself for a second. "I'm not sure if this would be rude to ask, but… how does it feel now that he's blind?"

"Huh?"

"Does he feel any _different_?"

"Not really. He's still Ash. Only thing different is that _Empathy thing_ he's got." She rolled her eyes at her next statement. "Apparently it makes him a babe magnet or something."

Maylene laughed. "_Yeah._ I've got a thing for him too."

"**I knew it!**"

"Was I hiding it?" the Gym Leader giggled childishly.

"No. But I totally made a bet with Misty that you had a thing for him! She said that you didn't. So she owes me lunch!"

"Well, we better save her then if you ever want to get that lunch."

"Eh. She can wait in there for a little while longer."

"_Wh-What?_ Haha–" Maylene stopped herself from laughing by covering her mouth. She punched Angie on the shoulder.

"_Ow!_ What was that for?" The tomboy blinked, suddenly realizing she just repeated a phrase she had known Ash for always saying…

"That's so mean to joke about!"

"Hey, you laughed. Besides, I was just being honest." Angie said seriously.

"You two hate each other?"

"Nah. Misty's cool. It's just her history with Ash."

"She Ash's girl?"

"Might as well be. Between her and May, I really have no idea who's a bigger threat."

"Don't think you can compare?"

"No way. I'm _way_ better for Ash than any of you, _no offense_. I just think that Misty and May's time with Ash makes him a bit biased towards the two."

"Wow, with all these girls hanging on him, you'd think he'd be a heart-breaker."

"_Who, Ash_?" Angie laughed. "No way! Ash isn't interested in a relationship. Or at least, he's not sure quite _yet._ Or ready _yet._"

"How can you tell?"

"He tells me these kind of things."

Maylene was suddenly interested in the deeper relationship between Ash and Angie. "And?"

"_And _what?"

"How do you feel that he feels that way? And that there's all these girls wanting a piece of the _Ash pie_?"

The tomboy shrugged. "How am I supposed to feel? I want to be with him, so I'll wait until he's ready. And the other girls are just problematic for him."

"You think I'm problematic?"

"Not you yourself. But I don't think you and him match too well."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well other than fighting and what Misty has told you – what else do you like about Ash?"

Maylene looked out into the distance. Ash was finally fighting back against her tyrogue, though his fatigued body put him at a serious disadvantage. And though he was knocked down several times, he stood up for another try. And all while still having a smile on his face.

"_He's a beautiful man…_" Her eyes sparkled as she watched him.

Angie nearly tripped._ Beautiful and Man aren't exactly two words you use to describe Ash. _she thought to herself.

"**Seriously?"** she asked bluntly.

Maylene snapped out of her trance and blinked oddly at Angie. "What? You don't think he's handsome?"

"He's okay, I guess."

The gym leader stopped in her tracks again. Her hands hooked to her hips in disappointment. "_'Okay'_? And you think you're better for him?"

Angie stopped and looked back curiously."_What?_ What did I say?"

"What happens if another girl is crawling all over Ash and calling him handsome and muscular?"

"M-Muscular?"

"That's right, he's got some muscles under there. Small, but they feel nice. Heheh." Maylene drooled. "Anyways! What kind of wife would you be for just thinking _'Eh, he's so-so'_ when another woman would find him _absolutely stunning_ in looks?"

_Wife? I've never th-thought of calling myself Ash's… wife. I've thought about marrying him… but calling myself his wife? … Ash's wife… _Her face turned red._ …Angie Ketchum… that… that sounds nice._

Maylene coughed**.** "_Well?_" She began her jog again.

Angie joined her. "Yeah, he is pretty handsome _I guess_… but, I just honestly like him for his personality. His looks can change any moment – but he'll always be himself. And I honestly am attracted to that."

The pink-haired fighter bobbed her head from side to side, accepting the answer. "Definitely a good trait… but… I also think he's handsome. I wouldn't mind taking advantage of his blindness, if you know what I mean." She made a quick wink.

"_**M-Maylene!"**_

"You can be honest, so can I. You like him for his good parts? I'd like him for his bard parts too." She chuckled mischievously.

Angie was about to scold her like a mother, when a voice in the distance grabbed their attention.

"_**HEY GUYS! WE MADE IT!"**_

A sign with a dent in the shape of Ash's head had the words _'SAFFRON CITY'_ engraved on it.

* * *

><p>A bustling metropolis surrounded them. And under the setting sun, the city shined gold.<p>

People of all kinds travelled between buildings, parks, alleyways, and homes. The constant movement and communication flooded the air with sound and human energy. Lampposts and business lights flickered and shined on as the night life would soon hit. There was a certain electricity about the environment, something that could get one lost and be forced on a road to greater and worse things. Saffron City – the _"Shining Big City"_.

Maylene stared at the clock post that stood in the center of a busy street. "So we have about eight hours until we're supposed to wait at the airport for May. What do you want to do unti–"

"Ash?"

Angie's voice caught Maylene's attention. She turned in time to see a strange man in a purple uniform lead Ash down an alleyway.

"**Where do you think you're going with Ash?"**

The two girls chased down the alleyway, only to be blocked off by a group of more purple-dressed men and women.

"Move or…" Angie pulled out a poké ball. "Get hurt!"

A young woman in the group stepped forward. "_No one but the Empathic may pass._" her voice was soft, yet commanding.

"They know Ash is an Empathic…" Maylene pulled out her own poké ball. "**What do you want with him?**"

"_You misunderstand. The Empathic came here to see our Mistress._" the young woman answered. Her eyes were cold and faded. "_She has accepted to meet him, but no others._"

Maylene whispered sideways to Angie, _"Did Ash say he was going to meet anyone here other than May?"_

"No." The tomboy threw out her poké ball. "Go Shinx!"

Maylene nodded. "Go Machoke!"

The two pokémon stood beside their trainers and challenged their foes with battle cries.

"So, either you purple freaks move aside…" Angie smirked with arrogance.

"…or this is going to get messy." Maylene finished her sentence gladly.

"_The Mistress warned us that you would refuse to comply._" As one, the purple uniformed guards raised their poké balls. **CLICK. VACUUM. SNAP.**

The air above them turned crimson by the amount of summons being released at once.

"**CHIIIIME~!"** all twenty Wind Chime Pokémon sung as a single voice.

"I think we're outnumbered." Angie laughed nervously as she backed away.

"We'll never know until we try!" Maylene and her Machoke ran towards the crowd of purple.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Angie and Shinx followed after them.

* * *

><p>"Welcome back to Saffron City, Ash Ketchum…"<p>

"Nice to see you again, Sabrina." Ash smiled. He ran his fingers across the bent silver spoon one more time before placing it into his pocket.

The woman with raven black hair stood from her chair and approached the male Trainer. She smiled. "You have grown much. That is good to know. It is a relief to have a friend in these troubled times, but a blessing to have one so experienced."

"Troubled times? What's happening here?" Ash asked, obviously concerned.

Sabrina nodded to the man that had led Ash to her home. The servant bowed and left the room silently.

The psychic master sighed in _exhaustion_.

In Ash's sight, her exhalation seemed to blow away the wall of _stiff emotion_. Sabrina's far more _childish nature _seemed to peek through.

She blew aside a lock of hair that hung around her view. "It is certainly nice to meet you again, Ash."

Despite having greeted her earlier, Ash felt like he was talking to an _entirely different person_. "You too, Sabrina."

Striding back to her chair, she moved a seat comfortably behind Ash and moved him closer to her with just a thought. She sat and stared at him.

…

"I know why you're here, Ash… but I have troubles of my own."

"What kind of problems? What can I do to help?"

Adjusting herself to a proper sitting position, Sabrina spoke her troubled mind, "Saffron City has always been under my watch, and was always guarded by the Psychics that reside and train here. However, very recently, a few hours before you arrived in this city in fact, a cloud has blocked our vision."

"A cloud?"

"Not precisely a _physical _cloud, though we wouldn't be too sure at this point, but more of a _strange energy_ that's preventing us from seeing the whole picture."

"_Whole… picture?_"

She sighed. "Allow me to show you."

Sabrina closed her eyes and transferred her mind's images to Ash's.

_**This is what it looks like if we can see clearly in our city.**_ Sabrina's thoughts echoed loudly in his.

_Visions of Saffron City and its people flickered before his mind's eye._

_**And this is what it looks like with the cloud…**_

_The same images appeared in Ash's mind, except something was hidden. A nagging feeling as if the entire scene wasn't shown, despite it looking almost perfectly similar._

_**Do you see?**_

_Kind of… though I don't fully get it._

Sabrina's eyes opened. "That is fine. You do not need to fully understand. What I request that you understand is that this is problematic for us Psychics. Something is disturbing our vision, and trouble may already be here within the city."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I am unsure what you can do, Ash. However, until this problem is resolved, I cannot help you with your quest."

Ash thought hard.

Sabrina looked into his mind curiously…

_Maybe it's some sort of machine? On top of buildings or underground?_

_**I'm afraid not, Ash. **_Sabrina replied to his idea._** I have already had several of my students check for strange devices throughout the city. The block does not seem to be triangulated in specific locations, so an item of technology cannot be the culprit.**_

_Hmmm… …counter-Psychics?_

_**Not possible. We vastly outnumber any Psychic group within Kanto. Combined, no amount of psychic forces can stop us from destroying any blocks. And even if it were the case, a psychic-block feels different from this. …it is a description beyond our words.**_

…_end of the world?_

Sabrina laughed out loud. "_Hm yes_, if it were the end of the world, we would certainly find our Psychic powers becoming useless. However, if that were the case, then I'm afraid that you and I would have bigger things to worry about."

_Nature? Maybe like a weird anti-Psychic cloud that occurs naturally every thousand years?_

_**You have quite the imagination, Ash. A very specific imagination, it seems. But you may have a point there. We have never encountered anything of that sort before, but it would not be impossible to consider. I will have some of my psychics look into i–**_

…

_**Ash? Ash, I can't read your mental wave!**_

A strange energy seemed to darken the world around her, nearly blinding her mental sight.

She opened her eyes. Her eyes widening instantly.

At every corner of the room, an absol stood. Yet its fur was of pure black instead of its usual snow white.

"_Dark Pokémon…"_ Sabrina growled. "That explains the disturbance. But how did they get passed the psychic link unnoticed? … Sebastian!"

The man that had escorted Ash to Sabrina had entered the room once again. "Yes, Mistres–" He gaspedat the sight of the foreboding Dark Pokémon. _**"What are these abominations doing here?"**_

He ran beside Ash and pulled out a poké ball. "Empathic child, we must protect the Mistress at all costs!"

A** laugh echoed **throughout the room.

Behind one of the absols, a woman in black appeared. "_Well, well, well…_ The infamous Ash Ketchum and the ever-troublesome Sabrina…"

"State your name and business." Sabrina looked coldly at the woman, her red_ 'R'_ chest emblem obviously noting who she worked for.

"You may call me agent 009, _'Mistress'_." she mocked as she swung her blond hair back. "As for my business? I'm here for the boy. But I believe I can get quite a bonus if I manage to take down the head of the pesky Psychics of Saffron."

"KADABRA! GO– **AHHHHHHHH!**"

"_SEBASTIAN!"_ Sabrina cried out.

The blond woman had thrown a black tulip at the Psychic guardian, its thorns attaching and spreading a shockwave of electricity throughout his body.

He fell to the ground weakly, his body still smoking from the shock.

"_Tsk tsk._ I really wouldn't recommend resisting. You'll find that I'm far more threatening than any of these lovely pokémon that grace your room." She pulled another tulip from behind and smiled arrogantly. "Besides, I doubt any of your beloved Psychic Pokémon will be any use against them."

With a snap of her fingers, each of the absols slowly walked towards them, surrounding them completely.

Ash readied to fight. "Why you–"

Sabrina had run towards Ash and wrapped her arms around him. _"Hold your breath."_ She closed her eyes tight and sent out a psychic spear.

The Gym Leader and Trainer vanished from sight, leaving the absols in confusion.

…

"**WHERE DID THEY GO?"** 009 threw her dark flower into the wall, causing an explosion. She pointed towards the hole she had produced. **"GET OUT THERE AND FIND THEM!"**

The absols nodded and dashed out of the ruined building.

* * *

><p>Sabrina and Ash reappeared in an alleyway covered in moonlight… and cluttered in hectic frenzy. Pokémon and Psychic alike were being tossed around as two girls and their pokémon were causing mayhem amongst their ranks.<p>

"_**Enough.**_" Sabrina commanded with absolute authority.

Everyone froze in place and gave attention to the Psychic Master.

The calm young female with the cold eyes bowed and addressed her Mistress, "_Mistress Sabrina. It is a pl–_"

**POW.** "Down you go! _Ha-ha!_" Angie had elbowed her in the back of the head.

She noticed Ash… "**ASH!**" …being held by a rather _'mature'_ looking woman. "**LET GO OF ASH, YOU–**"

The raging tomboy had frozen in place, Sabrina's psychic powers holding her down with little effort.

"Lianna." Sabrina helped the assaulted female back onto her feet with a controlled thought.

Smiling as if nothing had happened, Lianna bowed. "_Yes, Mistress?_"

"**Take the guards and spread throughout the city.**" She ordered with perfect thought and precision. "**Gather the other Psychic groups and protect key spots. Team Rocket has infiltrated our city with Dark Pokémon. Send a message to Janine of Fuchsia Gym that we are in need of their Bug Pokémon.**"

"_Yes, my Mistress._"

She sent the message mentally amongst her fellow guardians. They nodded as one and spread out.

Lianna stalled and gave Sabrina a concerned look.

"I will be fine, Lianna. Fuchsia City is yours to protect until I return."

She nodded modestly and left.

…

The Psychic Master glared at the two girls and their pokémon. "We will need your assistance, they are coming."

With a thought, she released Angie, who fell over harmlessly.

The tomboy stood up immediately and tried to charge at Sabrina again. This time she was held in place by Maylene. "Calm down, Angie! I don't think she's an enemy!"

"**TELL HER TO LET GO OF ASH!"** Angie raged.

Sabrina slid Ash into Angie's arms with telekinesis. Angie blushed as his face almost touched hers.

"Maylene." Sabrina searched her through the Gym Leader's mind, taking all the information she needed. "Please release all your pokémon."

"H-How do you know my name?"

"There is no time, _**do so now**_."

She pulled out all three poké balls and threw them into the air. "Go Lucario! Go Meditite! Go Tyrogue!"

The three Fighting Pokémon appeared beside the already-summoned Machoke and readied themselves for battle.

Sabrina eyed them quickly, judging their strengths and weaknesses. "Very good." She walked behind Maylene and stood patiently. "Angie, your shinx shall do. Protect us from any rear assaults."

"**Who do you think you are ordering me** – _whoah whoah whoah_!" Angie and Shinx were lifted from the ground and placed behind Sabrina.

"_**Ash, stay in the center with me.**_"

"I can fight!" he growled as his pride was hurt.

"Team Rocket is more than likely here for you. They will want you to fight in order to separate you from the rest. _**Stand in the center.**_"

He sighed angrily and walked behind Maylene, standing behind Angie.

The Sinnoh Gym Leader looked around in confusion. "What _exactly_ are we looking for?"

Sabrina nudged her chin upwards, pointing to the trio of charging dark absols that ran across the telephone lines.

"**What the heck are those?"**

"Weak to Fighting types." the Psychic simply stated.

Maylene flexed. "**That's all I needed to hear!** Lucario! Aura Sphere!"

"_HUAH!"_ The blue jackal shot a ball of blue energy towards the incoming felid pokémon.

The ball of energy impacted against one of them, causing it to disperse into black smog. As if vacuumed back together, the haze reformed several feet closer to them, reconstructing into the pokémon it once was.

"_What manner of creature are these…_" Sabrina's eyes narrowed.

"_**I just said that!**_" Maylene shouted. "Lucario! _**Another one!**_"

The Aura Pokémon shot another blast towards the group of enemies. Once again, they rematerialized closer after disintegrating from the attack.

"_This doesn't look good."_ muttered Maylene. "Guys, prepare for close combat!"

Her pokémon responded with ready growls and barks.

"_**Maylene**_." Sabrina commanded. "_**Hand control of two of your pokémon to Ash and I. You will not be able to control all of them at once effectively.**_"

She was about to argue, until Ash gave her a reassuring nod.

"Machoke and Meditite, you're with me. Lucario, listen to Ash. Tyrogue, listen to what's-her-face."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Angie yelled.

"I had already given you a purpose." Sabrina glared. "**Do it.**"

A shiver went down the tomboy's spine and faced back the other way. _But there's nothing here…_

_Sabrina…_ Ash thought out. _I can't see them. They don't have any emotions… How am I supposed to command Lucario in this fight? They're moving too fast for me to hear them._

_**Feel them out.**_She responded.

_But I can't! They're just blanks!_

_**Exactly. Pin-point them by knowing where they're not. Your Empathy should allow you to do that.**_

Ash tried…

Despite the world being dark to his _sight_, he could feel the colors and temperatures of the air around them. And within these blurring winds of emotion, there were dark patches where nothing existed. A complete blankness. _There!_

"Maylene! What attacks does Lucario know?" he shouted towards her.

She panicked at the sudden question. "_Uh – uhm_! Aura Sphere! _Um!_ Bone R-Rush! _Let's see–_"

The empty nothingness was almost on top of them. "**HURRY!**"

"**METAL CLAW AND FORCE PALM!"** she completed just in time. "Machoke! Cross Chop! Meditite! Detect then Meditate!"

"Lucario! Forcepalm!"

Sabrina's eyes glowed, surrounding Tyrogue with a purple aura.

Maylene's machoke jumped and swung down its hands in a slicing motion – the attack cut through smog, with the dark absol reappearing behind it instantly with a roar.

One of the shadow creatures ran along the side of the wall, launching itself towards the meditite. The half-Fighting Pokemon vanished and appeared across the alleyway – beginning its meditation.

"_HAH! HYAA! HRAAAH!"_ With each shout, Lucario missed another strike – the absol vanishing into smoke and reentering the fray from a different angle.

Tyrogue stood its ground, waiting for its opponent to get close enough. From her mind's eye, the dark creature didn't exist to Sabrina – or rather, it was the opposite of existence. But seeing through the simple-minded courage of a Fighting Pokémon, the opponent was clear as day.

"Machoke! Seismic Toss! Meditite! Drain Punch!"

"Keep at it Lucario!"

Every strike missed, or impacted into smoke.

"**Hey lady! **Nothing's working!" Maylene shouted above the sounds of battle.

"Come on! Let me help!" cried Angie from the side.

The nothingness finally came for Tyrogue/Sabrina. He/she struck out; the fist vanished into the darkness. _**There's nothing here! No entity! But then what are these… No. They exist. I see now.**_

"_**Angie! Now! Strike the area in front of you!**_" Sabrina commanded sharply.

"But there nothing the–"

"_**DO IT NOW!**_"

"Shinx! Use Spark!" she growled, pointing at the open air in front of her.

Angie's shinx released electricity across its fur, becoming completely encased in yellow energy. _"SHIIIINX!" _The tiny blue and black pokémon ran towards open air.

It collided with an invisible entity.

A **deep roar** shook the bones of everything in the alleyway. And in an instant, the dark absols vanished completely… replaced by a single, giant absol of midnight black fur. It stood behind all of them, facing a frightened Angie who cowered before its size. _"G-Guys! N-Need help!"_

They all turned and faced their new foe.

"_The other absols were mere illusions controlled by this one._" Sabrina explained with a cold tone. "_It was planning on distracting us long enough until it could take Ash from behind…_"

Sensing her correct deduction, the creature's large red eyes locked on Sabrina and pierced through her Psychic mind. "_**AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**_" She buckled in pain, pulling at her hair as tears poured from her eyes.

"SABRINA!" Ash reached down and grabbed her head, as if trying to pry the beast away from her thoughts.

**Laughter echoed** down the alleyway. Agent 009 walked towards them from behind. "I see you met the true form of my lovely Dice. He's quite a charmer, isn't he? Let me give you a bit of warning though… he loves to play with his food before eating them… so I'd advise that _you make this fun_ for him."

"**DOMINO!**" Maylene charged towards the Rocket Agent, her fists raised.

"**Maylene?** _Is that really you?_ Why it's been forever! We really do need to catch up!" She dodged Maylene's strike and pierced a tulip into her back, the lightning spreading across her muscles and paralyzing her. "Sadly, we don't have time for that."

The pink haired fighter fell to the ground without a sound of rebellion.

Maylene's pokémon roared in anger. All four of them charged at their master's assailant, ready to avenge her.

"_**NO WAIT!**_" Sabrina cried out.

Domino smirked.

**THUDTHUDTHUDTHUD** – Being cleared of any would-be Fighting Type defenders, the huge absol charged down the alley and grabbed onto Ash's belt with its massive jaws.

"_WAHHHHHHH!"_ The male Empathic panicked as he was suddenly lifted off the ground.

"_**NO!**_" Sabrina screamed as she tried to regain control of her broken mind.

The four Fighting Pokémon stopped in their tracks, turning back too late – as the monster was getting away with their trainer's companion – the one she had fought so hard to defend.

"_I'VE GOT YOU, ASH!"_ Angie leapt onto the creature's back and began ripping its dark fur from its skin.

"**!**"

"**MY DICE'S BEAUTIFUL MANE! **_**HOW DARE YOU!**_" Domino launched a flower towards Angie.

"SHINX! GRAB IT!"

The Flash Pokémon caught the tulip before it reached its mark. Shinx had absorbed the electrical damage from the attack and landed safely on the giant creature's back.

Angie grabbed the organic weapon from her pokémon's mouth and jammed it down onto an open patch of skin where she had removed the fur. The dark absol **growled **in pain as it continued to try to knock the riders off its back.

"Now! Shinx! Thunder Fang!"

"SHIIIIINX!" Charging off all its electricity into its teeth, the cub bit down onto the tulip, redirecting all its energy into the very flesh and bone of the furious beast.

"**!**"

"_**DICE! NO!"**_

Its massive fangs foamed and flailed, freeing Ash from its grip. Its muscles tensed and locked, dropping it to its side like it had been a wind-up toy running out of fuel. The lightning continued to spread in its body, forcing the creature to spasm despite losing consciousness.

Angie and Shinx jumped off the creature and ran towards the tossed-about boy. "Ash! Are you okay?"

Domino ran towards her pokémon and pulled her weapon away from its back. "_My poor, poor Dice…_ what did those awful creatures do to you?" She pressed a button on her belt, absorbing the creature into a metal device attached around her waist.

"_There, there. It's over now_. Get your rest. _Shhhh…_" She patted the device gently.

Ash limped towards her. "You're not going anywhere, Domino!"

Angie stood by his side, her shinx ready for another round. "Time for you to get a beating." The tomboy cracked her knuckles. Maylene's pokémon stood beside her, stretching and readying their muscles.

"_Oh my_,I believe I'm late for an appointment!" Domino hurriedly said while staring at an imaginary watch. She threw one more tulip to the ground. Its impact spread a spray of smoke in every direction. All who were caught in its radius found themselves choking for oxygen.

Ash felt the enemy's _feelings_ fade into the sky. _"We'll have to reschedule this little meeting! Ta~ ta~!"_

…

The smoke cleared, revealing nothing but open air.

Their foe had disappeared completely. No traces were left that she had been there other than the damage they had left in their attempt to attack her. Not even a single one of her tulip weapons was left behind. And to where she could have vanished, no one had a clue – as no aerial vehicle or pokémon traced the night sky above.

Whatever the case was, wherever she had gone or what she had done, the danger was finally gone… leaving a strange sense of accomplishment and peace – almost hollow, yet still a victory to be cherished.

The standing combatants stared at one another in bewilderment, still on edge after the strange battle. First to react to the victorious silence, the Fighting Pokémon moved towards Maylene's side.

Angie was the next to act, supporting Ash, the Trainer limping weakly to the downed Psychic.

"Sabrina… are you alright?"

The Saffron Gym Leader slowly got up and stood, wiping leftover tears from her eyes. "I will be fine." She massaged her forehead. "Thank you for your concern. I suggest you tend to the young woman."

Maylene was up, held up by her pokémon. Her eyes twitched to stay open, looking weakly at Ash and the rest of her allies. _"Did… did we win?"_

"_I think so…"_ Ash responded dizzily.

Before they could make a pathetic celebration attempt, a bright light flashed out.

They all stiffened to a panic.

"_What now?"_

"_Another attack?"_

"No wait!" Angie called out. Her eyes widened. Her lips hung open.

The tomboy gazed down in awe, a white radiance reflecting off her amazed expression.

"**Shinx is evolving!"**

* * *

><p>"<em>Come on open… open… open please!"<em> Misty pleaded in whispers as she jammed the hairpin into a strange lock.

**Kilink.**

"_Yes!"_

She turned her head. _"Come on, let's go."_

Swinging the door open into another dark hallway, the Water Pokémon Trainer led her ragtag team of escapees towards their next destination.

For days she had endured countless tortures, sleepless nights, and moments of starvation. The malnourishment and insomnia were tolerable, but memories of the torture frightened her with every thought she made.

Every element of attack and curious form of ailment had ravaged her body during her _interrogations_. The pain and panic in her senses constantly forced her to cry out and _begged _her to give in. And at times, she did. At many points, she did.

And when she had, the suffering would stop – and she'd be given rest, food, and _kindness_ as a response. They were trying to break her. To make her compliant and obedient to them. Any answer they wanted, they had to get. And whether it took them minutes or hours, they would always get what they wanted.

Her body still ached, and her heart still felt dead.

She was sorry, she was sorry for giving in – but she couldn't feel it, she couldn't feel anything. She knew she wouldn't feel anything for a long time… _not in this place… not while we're still in here… _yet despite this, she still was sorry. _Always sorry… she didn't want to give in._

Despite still breaking in the end, Ash's mother had held on for much longer than she had. As the noticeably weak woman moved behind her, Misty wondered how much her spirit had shattered in order to give up the answers that Team Rocket sought.

_She had to give up her son's safety to keep her own…_

It was a sickening idea. A despicable act on her torturers' part. No person should ever have to give up their loved ones. No person should ever be pushed to the limits of giving up the one that they treasure most in life. No parent should ever hold the guilt of sacrificing their child just to stop the pain.

If any pain were to be felt in her heart, Misty yearned to cry for Delia Ketchum. As she knew this was not a memory she would ever forget for the rest of her days…

However, of all of them, Anabel suffered the worst. Not _once_ did she speak. Not_ once_ did she break. Her screams and howls of pain would echo terribly across the cells. The sounds were horrendous, serving to make any prisoner more willing to talk when their turn came next. Several times Misty had found herself pounding at her gate, begging her to talk, begging her to give them what they wanted – so that the _screams would stop_, so that the _pain would stop_.

But she _never talked_. She _never said a word_. She_ never gave in_.

At certain moments, the guards would loudly converse with themselves about how they had gotten her to speak – how their torture had worked – and how they had what they needed. But Misty knew they were lying.

They didn't want the prisoners to have any heart left, to believe that anyone could suffer their punishments and never break. …but Anabel had._ Anabel did._

Anabel wasn't with them.

A day ago, the guards had moved her to a different area. Somewhere Misty wished she would find during their time of escape.

_Anabel…_

A teardrop fell to her arm… it was her first tear, her first feeling, since her first emotional breakdown. She didn't know she had any tears left after that day, yet the evidence left a clean trace against her cheek. Her heart had felt _shame_, it had felt _weak_… she _wished with all her soul_ that she was as strong as Anabel was… as strong as the girl she had thought to be the weakest of them.

_I'll get you back, Anabel…_

"_Misty."_ Tracey snapped her attention back to the dark reality. _"Guard."_

The group moved quickly behind a corner. A Team Rocket member was walking towards their area.

_Three poké balls. Flashlight. Radio. Keys._ Misty gathered all the data of the guard she needed from a single glance. A technique she had learned from necessity – a technique that had given them the chance to be to get this far in their escape.

**Click. Vacuum.**

A starmie appeared beside her. The Sea Star Pokémon was stiff, its gem glowing softly.

It, too, suffered under interrogation. All their pokémon had suffered the same fate. Any answer they had given was relayed psychically from Psychic Pokémon.

**Knock.** Misty got the Water Type's silent attention with a knock on its gem.

It looked up to its trainer with _weakened concentration_.

Using simple visual gestures with her hands, Misty issued her commands.

Silent commands, another technique Misty had developed in her time locked up. She had secretly taught these visual commands to any pokémon that faced her cell whenever the guards were looking away. It was through this skill and method that she was able to overpower any and every opponent that faced her in these cold halls.

Starmie's gem glowed once to show its understanding.

After a nod from Misty, it launched itself into the air with a spin. Rounding the corner, it found its target.

"What the heck is th–"

**KAK. Thud.**

"_Guard down."_ Misty hissed to those under her protection.

They charged towards the downed body and stripped it of all its accessories, clothes, and tools.

"_Tracey, put these on."_ Misty handed the man's clothes to the sketch artist.

As he put on the uniform turned disguise, she turned and scanned the others.

_Ms. Ketchum. Starmie. Mr. Mime. Pikachu. And Dawn._

Dawn was the most recent arrival. She was taken in soon after Anabel's disappearance. As such, she had never been put up for questioning. Her body was enviably free of wounds and her clothes perplexingly clean. Misty wondered how she had been captured. She wondered who else were on their way.

"Dawn and I still need disguises." Misty concluded.

She turned and nodded to the Rocket-dressed Tracey. "Let's go."

Returning the star pokémon to its ball, she led them down another hallway.

_To where?_ She asked herself in doubt.

…

_The only way to go… Forward._


	15. Chapter 15 Pieces

"We probably should've asked May which plane route she was taking." Maylene stared at the rotating screens, counting how many were arriving straight from Hoenn or Johto. "For all we know she could be taking one plane, two planes, or three planes to get here."

"She didn't really give us a chance to ask." Ash shrugged as he leaned against a wall.

"You can blame Angie for that. That _'we should've called Dawn'_ remark really set May off." She turned towards the tomboy trainer… the girl was busying herself with playing and celebrating with her new luxio. Maylene continued, "She probably would've been more gracious with her information."

"Hey, you were the one saying that '_we still should've called Dawn'_." Ash pointed out. "It's not like you were encouraging May with your attitude."

"Well there's a difference between supporting an idea and offending someone." she countered. "_I just supported an idea_, Angie was straight-out offending May."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Speaking of which… Aren't you tired, Ash? You've been awake for _how long_ now?"

"Nah, I'm too excited to sleep right now. That fight we had back at the alleyway was insane."

"You should've been there when Angie and I were fighting the Psychics! _THAT_ was insane!"

Ash wanted to ask all about it, but something popped into his mind that bothered him. "_Wait_, Maylene…?"

She noticed his changed tone and hesitated. "… _y-yes_?"

"How do you know that Domino girl?"

"_OH. _That… we used to go to school together."

"Really?" Ash tilted his head curiously.

"Yep. Fellow classmate."

"Small world."

"Tell me about it."

…

…

"Hey, Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you know that Sabrina girl?"

Before he could answer, a _friendly yet reserved_ emotion entered his immediate area.

"I'm the Gym Leader of Saffron City." Sabrina walked around the corner and handed a drink for each of them. "Ash was a challenger."

"Wow, another Gym Leader!" Maylene laughed and bowed in thankfulness for the drink. "Does Ash make friends with all the Gym Leaders?"

"It would seem so. Though how Ash befriended me was done in a rather _interesting_ fashion." She smiled.

Maylene was taken aback by the comment and stared at her curiously.

_**Worry not, child. I am not interested**__._ Sabrina's amused thoughts echoed in her own.

"W-What the heck was that?" The fighter panicked at her mind's intrusion.

The Psychic leaned against the wall next to Ash and stared at the clock on the wall.

"By the way, Sabrina…" Ash turned towards her. "How's Haunter doing?"

"I do not have him anymore."

"**Huh?** Why not?"

"A young girl who entered my Gym needed him far more than I did." she responded with a hint of nostalgia. "I miss him dearly, but his gifts were needed elsewhere."

The young trainer smiled with satisfaction. "Well that's good. Everyone needs to learn to laugh once in a while."

"…_haunter? … laugh?_" Maylene had no idea what the two were talking about.

An _excited energy_ had _rammed i_nto the air. Angie. "**Hey guys!** Guess what?"

"Torchick butt." Ash stated.

_Wow, how old is that joke?_ Maylene wondered.

Sabrina and Ash laughed loudly together at the ridiculously corny humor.

Both Maylene and Angie stepped back at the sight of the normally deadly-serious woman laughing.

"_Er… uh… no._" The tomboy snickered nervously. "I wanted to say that Luxio knows how to do Roar!"

"_That's awesome!_" Ash faced towards her in fascination. "Wanna' show it?"

"_Yeah I do!_ Come on Luxio, show them y–"

Sabrina interrupted, "I must prevent you from that action. Security in Saffron City's airport is very strict about Pokémon Attacks being used indoors."

"…_but… _I just used it over there…" Angie whimpered, anxiously wishing to show-off.

"And it caught the attention of several officers in the area. They are watching you closely as we speak." The woman nodded her head towards a wall on the other end of the airport.

Angie looked – and found three guards staring at her, speaking into their radio with discretion.

"_Oh, whoops."_ She waved apologetically towards them.

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"**_ Bright, sunny, and absolutely desperate_, an emotion had struck Ash after hearing his name. Like the thunder to a lightning strike.

With tears in her eyes, May was running towards the Empathic as fast as her legs could take her.

Strangers and employees alike stopped and stared at the scene playing out, their hearts happy to see such a loving reunion.

**BAKK.** Which was broken in an instant. May's fist had met Maylene's face. Her knuckles **cracking** on impact. And sending Maylene's drink skyward.

The twotumbledover in a tussle.

Angie rolled up her sleeves. "**That reminds me!**" She jumped into the fight with vicious excitement.

As the limbs locked and kicks flew, Sabrina turned towards Ash.

"You keep interesting company."

Ash laughed in embarrassment.

Security guards charged towards them, calling out orders and commanding them to stop.

The Psychic sighed. "Let me handle this." she grumbled to Ash in irritation.

She appeared in front of the combative three, blocking the law enforcers. "_**The three are under my care.**_" the Psychic Master spoke with frightening authority, "_**I shall see to it that they are reprimanded.**_"

The guards froze in place, shocked at her intervention. They bowed quickly in apology. _"Y-Yes, Sabrina!" "Th-Thank you, Mistress!" "Have a pleasant d-day, Mistress Sabrina!"_

In an instant, they ran off – afraid of being seen as incompetent fools that had offended their city's hero.

Sabrina's eyes glowed, surrounding the three young women in a purple aura. Affected by telekinesis, the three were separated and lifted into the air. Each of them continued the fight with bickering while levitated, with May obviously outnumbered in the argument.

Sabrina's brow twitched in annoyance. "_**Enough!**_"

The airport went quiet.

She cleared her throat and let the young women down onto their feet. "Calm yourselves."

May looked at her in curiosity. "Who's that?" she asked with an aggravated emotion, almost ignoring the fact that the woman had her lifted off the ground psychically just seconds before.

"This is Sabrina." Ash introduced nervously. "She's this city's Gym Leader."

The brown-haired Coordinator eyed the woman as if in challenge. "I'm May."

"A pleasure to meet you." Sabrina said almost sarcastically.

"A pleasure…" A trickle of blood dripped from May's lips. She wiped it off in disgust.

"**Ha!** Mission accomplished!" Angie laughed in victory. "That's what ya' get for kissing Ash, ya' hussy!"

"**WHAT?**" May and Maylene shouted.

Ash slapped his face into his palm.

May's face was suddenly red. _"H-How did…"_

Maylene laughed. "I better step my game up or Ash might have something else taken away before I get to him!"

Ash now had both hands covering his face. Angie was shocked, nearly having a nosebleed from the thought. May was both dying from _embarrassment _at such a comment – and burning with _anger _at such a forward statement.

Sabrina cleared her throat once again. All four gave her attention immediately.

"I suggest we leave the building. We are disturbing the peace."

* * *

><p>Lights flickered dimly on the orange walls and tangerine seats. Brown tables and cream carpet, having the scent of microwaved breakfast, patterned the floor. A neon white sign welcomed any strangers that happened to the pass. Inside the small diner of slow atmosphere and slower service, a group of five sat as the only customers.<p>

"I don't get it…" A girl of thick green hair poked at her strangely browned food. "If you're not poor, why did you choose this place to eat?"

Two young females, one of brown and the other of pink hair cared less to talk as they devoured the food placed before them.

A boy wearing messy black hair snored quietly at the seat closest to the window, his food getting cold from lacking attention.

"It's my favorite." A woman, whose midnight black hair glowed forest green under direct lamplight, smiled happily as she placed another waffle piece into her mouth.

A feline creature of lavender fur ate silently underneath the table.

The boy choked on a snore and rolled his position. _"M-May…"_

May blushed at his dream-encouraged mumble.

The Coordinator had traveled far and dodged more than one attack on her journey to this bustling city in the Kanto region. It was well worth it in her mind. She was here for Ash. And she smiled happily at the thought that of finally being able to help him.

"…_lene…"_

Her brow twitched in annoyance.

"_**Ha!"**_ Maylene laughed in her face, her mouth still half-full with food.

The young fighter admittedly never fawned over the boy like the other girls, but he was the only man in her life that she had ever been enamored by. _Love interest_ was the definition that resembled him in her vocabulary, with_ love _and _interest_ still being weighed. He was, however, a very fun subject of conflict and charm for her.

May struck the boy's knee with her foot.

Ash twitched in response and rolled to another position… which caused him to fall off his chair entirely. _**"AHH!"**_

**THUD**

…

Espeon walked over to the fallen boy and licked his cheeks.

His snoring returned, louder. _"N-No… …I don't want to go to the concert…"_

The girls giggled to themselves.

Sabrina placed her utensils down and delicately patted her lips with a napkin. "Where has Ash planned for this group to go next?"

"I'm not sure." Angie pushed her plate away. "Other than May, he never really told us who we were searching for. I didn't even know we were meeting you."

"I find it strange that a boy who seeks your help would inform so little." the Psychic stated curiously.

"Why don't we just check his pockets?" Maylene suggested.

May tensed. "Doesn't that seem… _you know…_ a little rude?"

"Doesn't seem to bother Angie." The fighter laughed.

Angie was already crouched over Ash's sleeping body, pulling out contents from his pants and jacket pockets. Standing up, she placed six objects onto the table.

_Half ribbon – Sketch – Photograph – Bent spoon – Rock – Newspaper clip._

"What are these?" Sabrina eyed each one with interest.

"These are the items Ash showed us when he said he _knew who could help us._" The tomboy looked over them with disinterest. She found it useless to try to figure out the bits and pieces without one of them knowing what they stood for – and she knew absolutely none of them.

May immediately hovered over the half ribbon. _"Ash… he still has his…"_

She reached into her pocket and produced the other half, reuniting the pieces. The two halves looked as if from different timelines, as Ash's half had been worn from weather and exposure.

Despite this, the Coordinator smiled with cherishment.

"Well, we now know that one's May." Maylene concluded.

Sabrina picked up the spoon. "If these are symbols, then I believe this one represents the Psychics of Saffron – with me most likely in mind."

"Then what are the rest?"

The four stared at the remaining four objects.

Angie lifted the sketch. "You think this one means Tracey?"

"Tracey?" The fighter tilted her head.

"A Pokémon sketch-artist that works for Professor Oak." May explained. "But I don't think that one's his. This definitely doesn't look like his style of sketching."

"Maybe it's an old one?" Angie scratched her head.

The Psychic let out a slight _gasp_.

The three looked at her in worry.

"Is something wrong?" Maylene browsed the area.

Sabrina's eyes focused in suspicion at each object placed before them. _"Maylene, release your lucario."_

"What?"

"Do it."

Hesitantly, the pink haired Gym Leader pulled out a poké ball and released the pokémon inside.

Lucario stretched and stared curiously at his surroundings.

Sabrina's eyes shined. A purple and blue mist engulfing her. Lucario's eyes locked, his eyes glowing in reaction.

His trainer stared in wonderment at the scene. _"Wh-What are you doing to Lucario?"_

_**I am borrowing his body. Please be patient.**_ she heard echoing in her thoughts.

…

Lucario picked up each object and glared – its eyes becoming lost in unknown reflections.

…

Without her calling him back, Lucario returned to his poké ball. _"Huh?"_ Maylene glanced at the ball in surprise.

"I returned him for you." Sabrina said before continuing. "There is something special about these objects."

She stared at each of the girls to gain their attention. "They are not mere symbols. They are objects that have retained traces of Aura."

"Aura?" Maylene and Angie asked in unison.

"…jynx." Maylene whispered. Angie growled in response.

"Aura," May said with serious attention, "is found in every living creature. It's like a soul. Or like an energy. Ash is able to read and use Aura."

"**What?"** Angie's eyes widened. "So you mean he can do things like Aura Sph– **Ow**!" Maylene had punched her.

"I said jynx. No talking." Maylene smiled mischievously. "No but seriously, **can he do stuff like that?**"

May nodded. "He said it's very draining, but I definitely know he can use it like that."

"More importantly," Sabrina returned the topic to its origin, "he's laced these objects with Aura."

"…_meaning?"_ The fighter blinked.

"Ash has given these objects great sentimental value. However, as he can manipulate Aura, he has also transferred some of his memories' auras onto them."

"…_meaning?" _the tomboy asked for her to clarify. "**Ow**! Quit it! **Ow**!" Two extra punches.

"This means that Ash can find us through these Auras. He seems to be attracted to them."

"Are you sure?" May questioned skeptically. "All he did was call me, and you were already in the same city as the airport I ended up in. …and wouldn't he be able to use these to find Misty and the rest? Why doesn't he just use an object to find them?"

"Valid observations." Sabrina nodded. "However, there certainly are traces of Aura on these items. And it should be noted that he may indeed carry additional items on his person that would allow him to find the kidnapped victims. But one factor changes the dynamics of that search… Team Rocket is masking themselves."

"Masking themselves?" May placed Ash's ribbon into her pocket, leaving her half on the table.

"Yeah, Ash mentioned that he couldn't sense any of them when they first attacked the house. **Ow**! Quit it, Maylene!"

"I myself could not sense their presence in Saffron until it was too late." the Psychic mentioned. "Aura won't be able to help him find them."

Maylene picked up the rock. "Then what about the rest? Where do these lead? …like this rock?"

"That is no ordinary stone. It is a meteorite piece." Sabrina examined.

"Who does it belong to?"

"We cannot know until Ash tells us himself. Your lucario can only sense the Aura, I can only detect mental traces – but even together we cannot know who Ash connected each object to."

_Sketch – Photograph –Meteorite – Newspaper clip._

The four looked down at the sleeping young man, each one curious where he would lead them next.

* * *

><p>Ash yawned as he entered the main room. He wasn't sure how he ended up in a bed, and he wasn't sure what building he was in – but he knew that his friends were there, as he tripped over their scattered shoes and bags. <em>I guess we went to a new hotel…<em>

The main room was a hybrid quarter; containing a living room, kitchen, and dining room comfortably situated next to each other in a small space. It was white, modern, and nothing spectacular – but definitely something not cheap. He could tell this by just touching the material of the walls and side tables. _I hope they didn't pay with my money… we're running a little low…_

Three energies gathered around a table, one other stood in front of a strong scent, and one more sat comfortably to the side. A warm and silent energy wrapped around his leg. He reached down and picked up the solemnly friendly pokémon. _"Hey Espeon. How are you today?"_

It yawned in response.

"_Yeah, me too…"_

He sensed towards the table again.

_Serious and inquisitive_, Sabrina studying something.

_Patient and ready_, Lucario waiting for a command.

_Frustrated and puzzled_, Angie trying to solve a question.

He opened his senses towards the lone figure in front of the scent.

_Happy and distracted_, May daydreaming.

_French Toast? Pancakes? …Pie? _He still had a difficult time with scents. Whatever it was, it was breakfast being made by May. And it had smelled like she improved in her cooking. _Must be from traveling alone._

And lastly, the casual single that sat on a couch.

_Calm and methodical_, Maylene searching through a pokédev.

Sabrina stood up and circled the table. "So far, with what we've determined–_ Ah_, Ash. We've been waiting."

"Hey guys, what are you… _hm_?" He finally recognized what was on the table. "What are you doing with those?" his voice suddenly serious.

Angie hadn't caught the tone. "While you were sleeping your butt away, we were trying to figure out what was up with your mementos. So far we've got Tracey, your charizard, probably a clefairy, and one of the Professors in any of the regions. Are we close?"

Sabrina and Lucario, however, caught it. The two looked at each other with concerned looks.

Despite her authority, Sabrina did not feel it in her place to speak with Ash with his _suspicions_ towards them.

_**May. Stop what you are doing.**_

"_Huh?"_ May looked around in confusion.

_**It's Sabrina. Ash is currently showing offense against our research on his items. I believe he has his reasons to have kept them to himself.**_

"_Uhm… what do you want me to do?" _she whispered to herself, unsure how to communicate back in a proper manner.

_**Ask him what's wrong. **_she thought with an air of obviousness.

"Hey Ash?" May felt awkward knowing what he was feeling before even speaking with him. "Is something wrong?"

Her innocent reaction seemed to have a positive effect on him. His body loosened and his emotions culled into a much more manageable state.

"What are you guys doing with my stuff?" Ash asked in a far friendlier manner.

Angie turned around on her chair. "I just said what we were doing with your stuff. You deaf or something?"

"Nope! _Only blind!_ I _know_ that one." Maylene raised her arm without looking. She was quite proud of knowing that fact, despite it being obvious.

Sabrina felt comfortable enough to approach him now.

_**Do you not trust us with these items?**_

Ash's thoughts curled into a _defensive _state.

She retreated from his mind. Sighing, she _opened herself up_.

Uncomfortable at speaking anything else other than her mind, Sabrina's emotions showed _vulnerability and sensitivity_.

It was her invitation for fairness. As she showed honesty and allows him to search for whatever he wished, and he would do the same for her. The only thing that would be needed to complete the deal… was his acceptance.

Though it was a rather uncomfortable situation to be in for Ash, as he did not fully know Sabrina on a personal level, he found himself searching into her feelings – an action that sealed their agreement. It wasn't a choice he made lightly… as he knew what it would mean. But at this moment, he needed to trust his friends and partners. His personal secrets weren't going to help them get anywhere.

The Psychic entered his mind once again.

_**Is something wrong, Ash?**_

… _you didn't find anything else, did you?_

_**Angie had only found these objects in your pockets.**_

…

… _can you look at something for me?_

Sabrina nodded. "Excuse us."

Ash and Sabrina walked into one of the bedrooms and closed the door behind them.

All three girls snuck towards the door and placed their ear against it.

"_**I suggest you three move away from the door. Otherwise…**_" The Psychic's cold tone pierced through the closed entrance.

May and Angie backed away immediately. Maylene exhaled softly and closed her eyes, keeping her ear planted on the door.

"_Maylene!" _May hissed at the fighter. _"Get out of there!"_

She responded by waving her away.

"_Your funeral." _The Coordinator returned to her cooking.

* * *

><p>Ash reached into each of his pockets, trying to find something that he feared he misplaced.<p>

His face winced as he adjusted his wrist in an odd angle.

"_There."_

From his hand, Ash produced a _strange marble_.

Sabrina's eyes instantly locked onto it. _"What is this?"_ Her voice turned suspicious.

"I don't know… I've always had it. I… _think_."

Ash wasn't sure. Ash was never sure about it. He had found the item in his private toolbox after one of his many journeys. Which journey, he could never remember. All he remembered was that he was surprised at finding the marble as he had no memory of ever collecting it.

However, the strangest fact about the item was that he had no proof that it was new. When he would search through his memories, he remembered always having it. The memories themselves felt fabricated, but such an idea seemed _silly_. For whatever reason, Ash had this marble, and he never felt the need to carry or toss it. It laid dormant in his toolbox for all his life. _…was it really all his life?_

In a fashion, he felt like it had always belonged to him, as if it were something very important to him. But he himself could never figure what was its significance. All he knew, was that many of the strange feelings he had felt throughout his journey, may or may not have been affected by… _this._

Sabrina sensed all his thoughts, memories, and worries for the small object. She nodded in response to them. "I see…"

"I didn't just come to visit you for help in getting back my friends and mom… I really wanted a private meeting with you to talk about _this_." Ash rolled the marble back and forth between his finger and thumb. "You know what this is, don't you?"

She shook her head, her _honest unawareness_ disappointing the boy. "I am afraid not. This object is completely unfamiliar to me. I do, however, sense a great energy from it. Psychic energy, and other energies as well."

"Empathic and Aura." Ash placed the black marble down. "…ever since I had gotten Empathy, this item's been… _disturbing me_. I had always sensed something from it with my Aura, but never as loud until after I had gotten Empathy. I can't understand it completely, _but…_"

He scratched the back of his head, unsure if anything he was saying was true. But it was the only way he wanted to explain it. The only way he could explain it, as if it the marble itself _did not want him_ to explain any further or any differently.

"Perhaps if I…" Sabrina reached out.

He knew what she would mention next. "I'd like that actually."

With a bow of his head, Ash allowed the Psychic to search his mind.

She placed her palm gently on the young man's forehead and closed her eyes. Underneath her eyelids, a _shining light_ glowed. A _purple aura_ swirled around her… it traveled down her arm and into Ash.

Opening Ash's mind's eye, Sabrina was able to see the world as he saw it – a world of darkness, filled with _unphysical color and heat_, accented by his inherent _Aura_ ability – which made everything far more clear. But with her trained Psychic mind, she could see far more than Ash ever could.

With the new abilities at her disposal, she felt for the marble.

_**Where did he place it…**_

Her fingertip touched it.

In an instant, the object absorbed her mind into itself.

The world around her suddenly turned _bright_. _Colors of every shade_, and even ones that _couldn't exist_, _**shot **_and _**exploded**_ in different _angles_ and _shapes_. _Waves of Aura _faded in and out below her like a tide. And the one element she had always been comfortable with, _Psychic energies _shaped the sky aboveher – showing things that _existed, had existed, _and _would exist_.

A _flash of light _had almost blinded her.

The powers _combined _into a _**single orb**_, mimicking the visual color and shape of the physical marble, except for its frightening size.

Like a crystal ball, the orb revealed the memories of Ash in this journey. _Becoming blind. A sensitive Empathic and a logical tomboy colliding in worlds. Meeting of old friends. His realization of Empathy. Relationships that would bind and hold them to fate. The Team Rocket attack on his home. His journey and arrival at Saffron City. Meeting her. The fight against Domino._

… _**what's this? **_Sabrina's eyes went wide.

_A Researcher and his assistant found in a lone lighthouse. A fierce guardian of powerful charizards. A Pokémon Ranger. A young woman who had befriended a unique pokémon._

_**The memories… they're continuing to move forward!**_

_A legend assisting them on their journey. Revealing a young fighter's past. A trio rescuing them from certain death. A traitor. A massive battle that threatens their very world. A…_

The memories started _blurring_ and _fading_.

_**These aren't memories at all… they're prophecies.**_

**Black. **The orb had distorted and disappeared into nothingness. A feeling of _changing futures _hit Sabrina's intuition.

_**Peering into these futures must be changing their outcome… I may have well destroyed those possibilities…**_

The Psychic studied the environment around her one more time before deciding. _**Then I shall no longer interfere with the future's plans. I have everything we need.**_

…

Sabrina opened her eyes. She saw the young man in front of him, holding tightly to the marble. His face was pale. His body tilting, nearly falling over.

Placing her fingers into his, she opened his hand - allowing the marble to fall harmlessly to the floor.

Ash opened his eyes. _"You… saw it… didn't you?" _his voice was wavering in tones, between past and future, light and dark. For a second his physical form shifted into different visions of Ash. _An older Ash who had given up on everything. A student who had never gotten a chance to begin his journey. An Aura Guardian seeking nothing but the safety of others. A loving husband to a faceless spouse. An unbeatable champion who searches for the next adventure. A familiar face that shared a common past. And much more…_ but only for a second.

Sabrina moved away from him, stunned. "_I… _I know not what that object is. But it has chosen you."

Ash leaned against a nearby table, almost fainting._ "I… I thought… those things it kept telling me… were just weird dreams…"_

His hand gripped onto his vest as if to hold himself in balance. _"But they were true… they happened… I could've stopped them… I could've stopped Team Rocket… I could've saved Pikachu… mom… Misty… Anabel… but… I didn't listen…"_

The Psychic, her emotions still open for him to feel, approached him with a _pitying heart_. She held him upright, preventing him from stumbling. "Ash…" her voice adjusted to her mature tone, showing a mothering nature. "Listen to me… it wasn't your fault. You could not have prevented it. Even if you did, an alternate disaster would have taken its place."

"…_but… why…" _Tears flowed down his eyes, his exhaustion from the psychic fusion disabling him from having any true control of his mind, body, spirit, and emotion.

Sabrina sighed sadlyand petted the poor boy's hair. "_Something_'s calling for you Ash. It needs you. And it needs you in a certain place, a certain time, and a certain way… you can change the outcome, but you cannot change the fact that you are needed there and then."

"_What do you… mean?" _He wrapped his arms around her, feeling _lost_.

"You're destined for something great, Ash. And all these events are meant to shape you into a person who can face the challenge."

"_Does that mean… everything will be okay…?"_

She frowned. _"…no._ The future keeps shifting, and it will continue to shift. Despite being destined, the destination and meaning can change at a moment's notice - but its purpose for the universe will forever remain the same, _even if you do not_. …you need to strengthen yourself, and we need to move forward. If not… _we…_" Hesitation struck her throat – Ash's vulnerability making her fearful of being her usual logical self.

"…_we might never see them again…" _Ash continued her thought. His hands loosening.

Sabrina lifted his chin with her fingers and wiped away his tears. "Then we must see to it that those futures never occur." She gave a reassuring smile.

He sniffled, trying to regain his composure.

The Psychic wondered to herself how to cheer the boy up. It embarrassed her at how awkward she was at these moments - admitting she had no experience in them.

Sabrina thought back to how the other girls would treat him...

…

She pushed Ash's head back and made a pathetically weak punch to his arm.

"_Huh?_" He tilted his head at her.

"I _um…_ am trying to be friendly."

…

Ash laughed. She laughed along with him.

_**Much better.**_

He smiled back at her in _thankfulness_.

"Let us go. Your friends must be suspicious in our time together."

Sabrina opened the door.

A surprised pink-haired girl fell in with a yelp. She looked up at Sabrina and laughed nervously.

_**How did she manage to stay by the door without me kn–**_

The Psychic's eyes thinned into daggers, the memory of her time in the orb revealing to her that the girl was not who she said she was.

She raised her hand, a dark purple aura overtaking Maylene and **smashing** her against the wall.

The girl was pinned, unable to fight back.

"_**WHO ARE YOU**_"


	16. Chapter 16 Duality

"_I told her to stay away from the door!"_ May whimpered as she fearfully cowered behind a table.

Maylene was choking, an invisible hand grasping her neck.

"**S-Sabrina!"** Ash pulled at her arm to stop her. **"Stop it! What are you doing?"**

Lucario charged in to protect his partner.

"_**WHO ARE YOU**_" The Psychic's energy flared, tossing aside the pokémon and forcing Ash off her.

"_W-Wh…at?"_ The fighter struggled hard but couldn't escape the woman's power.

"_**YOU HIDE SOMETHING FROM US**_" Sabrina's hair began floating upwards, her mind's power showing itself in a threatening physical form. "_**I CANNOT READ YOUR MIND – SPEAK OR I SHALL SPILL YOUR MIND FROM YOUR WILL**_"

"**SABRINA! STOP IT!**" Ash pressed his hand against the Psychic's stomach, a blue energy rushing from his body ran through his flexed limb **exploded** against her.

"_GUH!" _She flew from the impact and crashed against a side table.

Maylene fell to the ground, grasping her neck as she gasped and swallowed as much air as she could. Ash ran to her side, helping her to her feet.

Sabrina appeared behind him, her eyes noticing Ash's skin becoming paler and his body weakening to a frail state. "…do not push your body in using Aura. You are not yet experienced enough to handle the effort." she warned in with a concerned tone.

"_Sabrina…" _Ash faced her weakly. _"…what's wrong with you?"_

"_**Ask Maylene. She is well acquainted with Domino.**_" She glared towards the young woman he was carrying.

"They were classmates!" Angie yelled as she helped Maylene balance from the other side. "You paranoid freak! You could've just asked!"

Sabrina's narrowed eyes locked onto Angie at her rude response. "_**That is a lie. **_She hides it well in emotion and thought, but _**I saw for myself who she is**_. She is a member of Team Rocket."

"She isn't!" Angie barked back, ready to escalate the fight further – _with words or with pokémon_.

Maylene pushed Angie and Ash aside. "_No… …I __**was**__ a member of Team Rocket._"

"**WHAT?**" Ash, May, and Angie reacted in unison.

"**Was** a member of Team Rocket… no longer one." Maylene continued, rubbing her neck and shoulders. "_My father…_ he always gambled. Got us into a lot of debt. I'm still in debt. …I paid for most of the debt by working for Team Rocket at one point… he owed the most to them."

"_Maylene… why? How could y-"_

"Because if I didn't, they were going to kill him!" she interrupted Ash with a shout, tears forming in her eyes. "I hate my dad and all his stupid gambling… _but…_ I still love him. He's still my dad. I couldn't just let them kill him."

Sabrina stood in front of her, looking down at her with _cold eyes_. She received a fiery-eyed reception from Maylene. The Psychic ignored it. "_**Why hide this information?**_ Your experience with them would have helped us, no matter how little."

"Well you already know everything I know at this point." She looked down in _shame_. "I was a low-rank Rocket. I didn't know too much from my time with them."

"Wait a _minute_!" Angie crossed her arms and leaned on one leg. "If you were a Rocket, why in the world did you interrogate that Team Rocket member back at the ferry?"

"I never interrogated him." she admitted. "I only beat him up and took his costume. I only said I interrogated him so that none of you would suspect how I already knew all that information."

"Why even bring him to the room? We would've taken your word for it!" Angie lied, she would have _never _believed her explanation after the discussion she had with Ash. But in her eyes, she needed to give as many benefits of the doubt to themselves, as they weren't the ones guilty.

"I owed Ash that." Maylene looked towards him with guilt. "He needed information. And unless he knew the information had come straight from an obvious source, he would've_… thought we were just wasting our time…_ he would've thought we were stalling for too long, _even though we were doing our best_."

The raven-haired young man walked towards her, his faded eyes locking with her pink-shaded ones. "Then that means you _do_ share the same ability as the Team Rocket members that attacked my house… the reason why I couldn't see you in our fight, right?"

She frowned with deep apology. "_I…_ I do. …I _wasn't_ lying that their pokémon were the source of their lack of an aura, but they themselves have the ability to hide their mental and emotional state as well… some of them can even hide their Aura trace."

"A very unique technique." Sabrina caught her attention. "But why trouble learning it yourselves if your pokémon can accomplish it for you?"

"Why do you train as a Psychic if your pokémon already are?"

The Saffron Gym Leader nodded in understanding. "Understandable then… However, why would such an ability be learned in the first place?"

"_Well…_" Angie rubbed her arm _ashamedly_ and stared at her feet. "I learned it to escape them. No one can ever stop working for Team Rocket now. No one. I learned it so I could become that _no one_. If they could never find me, they'd never be able to get me back. _I didn't want to be stuck with them. I had to get out._"

"But how did you learn this technique?"

"_I found their manuals… _these technique manuals they had made from compiling research from…" She paused, depressed at what little words she could choose from. "…_'testing' _on humans and pokémon alike." She could feel Ash's sickening emotional glare press against her. "_I…_ I studied it whenever I got the chance."

"_**How could you?**_" Ash pinned her against the wall. _**"How could you learn from those manuals knowing how they researched them?"**_

"_**I!**_ _I don't know!_ _**GET OFF ME!**_" Maylene shoved him away. Her emotional and mental state _disappeared completely_. She was completely gone from Ash's senses… except for the shaking of her body and the growing sobs.

"…_Maylene…"_ His anger started to disappear. The fighter's cries showing absolute _shame_ of herself. _She didn't mean to… She didn't mean it that way…_

"_**I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!**_" she screamed, her hands gripping onto the Empathic's legs. _Desperation_ flowed through her every word and twitch. "**I JUST DIDN'T – I DIDN'T WANT TO STAY WITH THEM FOREVER! AFTER I LEARNED IT I DESTROYED IT! I DIDN'T WANT TO BE LIKE THEM! **_**I'M NOT ONE OF THEM! I'M NOT!**_"

The strong fighter had _broken completely_. Howling and cursing, she fell to her knees and curled into a ball, continuing her wailing in her own private hell – _remembering the times when she had found the victims of the experiments_.

Ash wrapped his arms around her, unsure what he could do or say to console her.

May joined him, wrapping her arms around her as she whispered comforting encouragements into her ear.

Sabrina sighed, never knowing how to fix the emotional damages she placed on others. "I apologize. I had jumped to conclusions." She fiddled with one of her coat's buttons, trying to find the right thing to say. "_…I apologize._" She couldn't find one.

…

Maylene's sobs stopped; her breathing and tone becoming calm. What she had to say next would affect every plan and decision from now on. A fact that she had never wanted to be responsible for…

"…_Team Rocket learned these techniques so that they could capture Arceus."_

The room suddenly went silent. No one moved, no one said a word.

…

"_Arceus_…? What's that?" Only Angie showed puzzlement.

"Arceus, creator of worlds." May answered her. "It was said that it had created the universe this world and many others belong to."

"…you can capture something like _that_?" Angie raised her brow in disbelief.

"Arceus is a pokémon." Ash mentioned. "The most powerful one that we know of. I doubt they can capture it with just a giant poké ball, but it can be affected and weakened by the elements just like anything else. …I don't think it'd be _impossible_ to control Arceus."

"And how would you know that?" The tomboy continued her skepticism.

"Because I was there when it almost destroyed this world." he responded solemnly.

Angie jumped back in shock. _"You can't be serious!"_

"The Michina Town incident!" May gasped. "**You were there?**"

He nodded, saying nothing.

"_The michi-michi what now?"_

May stared at Angie, almost pitying her lack of knowledge. "I'll tell you about it later. For now - **was it true, Ash? Was there really a giant battle there between Legendary Pokémon?**"

He nodded again, still saying nothing.

She covered one eye with her palm, exhausted from the revelation. "_The officials kept covering it up, saying that it was just some mass hallucination or some crazy natural disaster blown out of proportion. But… I can't believe this is all actually true…_"

Sabrina kneeled in front of Maylene. "_How would this ability allow them to capture Arceus?_" She took a softer approach this time.

"Arceus…" The fighter sat up, still refusing to look the Psychic in the eye. "…is the creator of things. _Mental, emotional, aura,_ and physical energies create worlds. And they're as much a part of Arceus as Arceus is a part of them.

"You can't capture Arceus, because it is a being of _pure_ creation. It can recreate itself over and over again, never allowing its mind, emotion, aura, and physicality to ever be bound to a singular object. But it _can_ be killed, because that is the one rule that must come with all things that live - they must be able to die." She wiped her dried tears and looked up at Sabrina.

"But Team Rocket wants to _control_ it, not kill it. To control something so powerful would give Team Rocket the ability to recreate the universe in whatever fashion they wish."

Her last words had gained everyone's complete attention.

"…to capture a creature more powerful than any creation within this universe, something far more powerful must control it."

Maylene _**exhaled**_. Her emotional and mental state was no longer blocked - it was _**empty**_. Ash, Lucario, and Sabrina lost their balance, almost feeling as if they were being sucked into its void. … she _**inhaled**_, her inner state becoming normal once again.

"That, was just **one** ability they were training to achieve."

"**Wh-What was that…**" Sabrina massaged her forehead, trying to regain control of her psychic abilities.

"The only thing we, creations of Arceus, can create beyond its power, is the ability to take away its power… so they planned to capture Arceus by becoming everything it wasn't. A sort of anti-Arceus."

Sabrina gripped the carpet beneath her tightly, not wanting to believe what she had just heard. "_**Is that possible?**_"

"_Not yet…_" Maylene frowned as she turned towards Ash. "…they need to learn how to create anti-matter. They have a long way to go before they achieve their goals… _and Ash… matches the description of the one who was destined to stop their goals._"

…

Within the other room, the marble _burned_. _Another piece to the puzzle fitting into where it belonged._

* * *

><p>Sabrina shook her head. "I'm sorry, Ash, my teleportation can only take us so far. I would have to have visited the area recently in order to travel so far."<p>

The small group was walking through another forest by the cover of night. A luxio lit the way; small sparks flew from its glowing tail tip.

Roads were watched, public transports were problematic, and May's stories of being attacked in air travel had only proven that planes were not an option. The forest was their only path of travel now, and night being their invisible cloak.

"Why don't any of us now how to drive yet?" Angie sighed in exhaustion as she tripped on another root that stuck above the dirt.

Maylene laughed, with her familiar _shame_ being hinted through. "I could never afford a car."

Sabrina coughed in _embarrassment_. "I'm… _a horrible driver_."

"I'm just too young to drive." May shrugged. "I definitely could use a license with all the traveling I do."

The tomboy patted dirt off her long sleeves. "Well why doesn't Ash have a car?"

"You really want a blind boy to drive us?" The Coordinator laughed.

"No. What I meant is, why didn't he have a car _before_ he went blind?"

"What's wrong with walking?" Ash questioned as he held onto Sabrina's arm, using her as his guide.

"_Nothing_'s wrong with walking!" Angie growled as a vine smacked her face for the fourth time that evening. "It just really would've been helpful right now."

May skipped on one foot as she tried to shove a pebble out of her other shoe. "Well, why don't _you_ have a car?"

"I'm not old enough for one, duh." she pouted.

"**HUH?**" Ash turned towards Angie in shock, still walking as he let the Psychic to give him mental instructions. "I thought we were the same age, Anj!"

"_Wh-What?_" Her face suddenly blushed in shyness. It was the first time Ash wasn't seeing her as an equal… which had made her feel _funny_. "_N-No. _I'm three years younger than you."

A hand grabbed her head and proceeded to ruin her already messy hair. "_Awww_, that means you're the kid in this little family!" May giggled, looking at Angie in an endearing fashion.

The tomboy had bitten her hand in response.

"_Ow!"_

Angie did not like being treated as a child. Especially by a girl she had always seen herself as at least an equal to. "Don't get any stupid ideas. I could still kick your butt."

May blew at her throbbing hand. "Whatever, little sis." She let out a giggle.

The pink-haired fighter laughed. "That makes me the eldest sister!"

"Sabrina's older than you, dummy." Angie pointed out.

"I still would be the oldest _sister_. Sabrina's like our mom or something."

The Psychic almost tripped at being labeled as such. She focused her senses and regained her balanced.

_**Raise right foot slightly.**_ she sent to Ash, remembering the duty she had given herself for the trip.

The boy raised his foot, avoiding a sudden incline. In truth, he wasn't paying attention to the conversation the girls were having behind him. His mind was distracted by thoughts of what they should do next, where they should head next after all this.

Psychically linked to his mind, Sabrina did her best to sort out his plans and help him choose priorities. She knew how important each decision was to their journey. A single mistake would only lead to greater disasters. Knowing this, she had assigned a large portion of her mind to assist in his thoughts.

"And what would that make Ash? Our brother?" Angie made a gagging sound at the thought.

"Ew. No way." Maylene responded. "He's like _uhm… uhm…_ a boy for an arranged marriage!"

"And Sabrina has to pick one of her daughters to marry him!" May added excitedly.

"And –"

More tasks were brought up for Sabrina to handle. In addition to guiding Ash's steps, sensing which direction he wished to go, as well as managing his thoughts – she had also given herself the job of scanning the area psychically, becoming familiar with the boy's mental energy, and discussing strategies with the lucario that walked alongside them. _**…anything to completely shut out the sound coming from the two Mays.**_

"So where are we going?" a voice broke through her concentration.

It was Angie. She had left the two playful girls and moved up to the front. "If that map we saw at the hotel room's right – does that mean we're heading for Cerulean City?"

"Further up." Sabrina had answered.

"Further up?" She tilted her head. "…I don't think there was a city there. _None that I can remember…_"

"Not a city, a lighthouse." Ash answered.

At the moment, Ash was extremely curious of how Angie's age affected their relationship – or if it had any effect at all. In most cases, age never mattered for him, but he had always noticed it when a person treated him according to their age difference. May was one of the primary examples, who tended to show submissiveness to his decisions at certain moments when they were alone – as she treated him as a senior during those rare moments.

_Would Anj treat me like a senior? That would be kind of weird._

"What's up at the lighthouse?" Angie disturbed him from the thoughts.

He pulled out the newspaper clipping. The scrap of paper was far too small to show any names, as it had been destroyed from rough weather striking against the box it was originally contained in.

The tomboy took it from his hand and placed it close to her luxio, trying to read its exact words.

"A famous Researcher in Kanto named Bill." Sabrina resolved for her. "His experiments are often strange and his behavior and interests are far too erratic to keep contained in a proper facility, but his results speak for themselves."

Ash nodded in thanks. "Maybe he can give us something. Maybe a gadget or something to give us an edge against Team Rocket."

The girl placed the clipping back into Ash's pocket. "Cool. And maybe he can give us some more information on Arceus and all that anti-Arceus stuff."

Sabrina smiled in surprise. She realized that she had never considered the thought herself. Angie was growing to be a favorite of hers. The rough-edged girl did her best never to cause problems for the rest of the group, yet at the same time, spoke and acted honestly. She also showed a sharp mind – being able to come up with ideas no others could.

Studying her mind, the Psychic found that she was blissfully unaware how helpful she was in balancing out whatever crowd she was placed in.

If Sabrina truly was the mother of this group, she would've favored Angie for Ash, as the others never really took the possible relationship as seriously as she did.

Ash was blushing and stumbling, as the Psychic had forgotten to remove her mental link with him as those thoughts crossed her mind. Also still being connected, Lucario found himself curiously adding to the psychic conversation.

Sabrina laughed out loud, having understood a rather _dirty joke_ from the calm pokémon.

Ash fell over, his face absolutely red.

Lucario laughed proudly at the reactions.

The three girls stared in interest. They'd harass the other trio for an explanation throughout the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>It was morning. The second morning of their travel from Saffron City. The sun shining brightly against the trees, clouds flowing beautifully, and pokémon of all sorts making their calls into the air. It was a wonderful time to be awake, yet there was sleep to be had.<p>

Tents were set and their inhabitants dreamed quietly.

Two pokémon and two humans, however, refused sleep.

Bibarel and Meditite stood guard, protecting the immediate area with careful vigilance.

Inside one of the tents, Sabrina and Ash sat facing one another, the dark marble sitting between them.

The two yearned for sleep, but there was still business to be done.

_**And after meeting with Bill, I suggest we head to Johto first. Violet City should be our main destination there before moving forward. Depending on transport, the amount of time it will take will vary greatly.**_

_Maybe Bill will give us some Pokémon to get there faster._

_**I would hope so. All forms of transportation are now too risky to take. But if we must, there is a lesser railroad station located near Cerulean that should take us to Ironwood Station… which is near Route 30, I believe.**_

_You think there's any chance we can take one of the underground tunnels that Team Rocket built?_

_**Suicide. But if you wanted to take that foolish road, we can discuss it with Maylene to see if she knows of any entrances.**_

_What if we took air travel?_

_**We would have to backtrack to Saffron, but it would be the fastest mode of travel. Though I doubt Team Rocket will be as clumsy as they were when they went after your friend May. They would have redoubled their efforts after such a failure.**_

"_Ash? Are you awake?" _the voice came from outside the tent.

"May?" he recognized the tone immediately.

_**It seems this is a private conversation. I will take my leave.**_

_Hm? No wai_- … Sabrina had disappeared.

"_Can I come in?"_

"_Uh…_ sure. Come on in."

May's _bright and sunny _personality had graced the tent's originally _serious_ atmosphere. There was something different about the Coordinator this time, however. Ash couldn't tell what exactly.

She had sat down in front of Ash, with a curious smile hinting her face. _Do you notice anything different? _She felt towards him, hoping he could still sense her emotions like he used to.

"_Y-Yeah…_ not sure what, though." He scratched his chin in bewilderment.

The Coordinator giggled.

Since her return to Ash's side, she had been trying to figure out a way to be attractive in a manner that he could notice. As her friend was now blind, the idea of beauty was no longer something visual. She experimented with different methods, and was now finally testing it.

"You smell nice." he finally concluded.

Her entire self squealed in emotional delight at the compliment.

Now it was time to test her next trick.

Closing her eyes, she changed her thoughts and ideas. She focused on single emotions and memories.

"_How about now, Ash?"_

"M-May?" To the Empathic, the girl in front of him changed into someone completely different. In front of him sat a _sweet and gentle girl_. She had a love for pokémon that resembled a _mothering guardian_. Her soul seemed _gentle, fragile, _and_ needing protection _from the corrupt world around it. Her heart gazed into Ash's, making him melt at the presence of such a saint.

His face turned pink, his jaw fell slightly ajar, and a hint of drool hung from his lips.

The emotion turned back into _its simple, far more immature and insecure _ways. She was back to normal. And she had just _winked _at him.

Ash shook his head to snap out of it.

He laughed with an embarrassed tone.

_You really felt it, didn't you?_

"Y-Yeah… but what was that?"

_Just a little trick I taught myself. _She giggled.

"How in the world did you learn that?"

_You remember when Anabel said that I had the right heart to be an Empathic?_

Ash had just remembered… _the incident with Duplica. _"Yeah?"

_Well, I thought… maybe I could be more useful if I was an Empathic._

"So are you one yet?" Ash asked despite already knowing the answer.

_I don't thinks so… I'm just trying to get used to all this emotional control stuff. Did my control work like it was supposed to?_

"How exactly was it supposed to work?"

_Something like a dress~! And make-up. That kind of stuff._

Ash's face showed minor irritation. "_Mm…_ I'm not really into that fake stuff."

"It's not fake." May finally broke her verbal silence. "It accents what's already there."

The boy shrugged. "I dunno… If you have to accent who you are, that's not really a compliment to yourself."

_Offended. _that was all Ash could feel from her.

"May?"

She stormed out of the tent angrily.

…

"I have no idea what that was about."

"You're_ very _smooth with women." Sabrina was back, and she brought sarcasm with her.

"I don't even know what that was about." He sighed.

The Psychic closed the tent back up and sat back down. "Girls who have low self-esteem tend to be _very_ troubled if you mention anything negative about them. Especially their attempts to better themselves."

Ash felt no guilt for what he had done. "I was being honest."

"Honesty is often harder to swallow than a lie. Most people prefer lies."

He fell to his back and sighed again. "How about you? You prefer lies?"

_**People can't lie to me.**_

_I'm pregnant__**. **_Ash had sent back with no trace of doubt in his mind.

Sabrina laughed heartily. "Well, I suppose there's a first time for everything."

"So are we going to keep discussing plans? Where did we leave off?"

The Psychic thought quietly to herself.

…

"Actually, I'd prefer to eat something. If that's alright." she admitted with an embarrassed smile.

* * *

><p>"Professor, the vehicle is ready to leave…"<p>

"Dana, it's Bill."

"Professor Bill, please, hurry to the transport…"

The man sighed.

Falling back to a luxurious chair, the man ran his fingers through his curly green hair. Frustration and exhaustion slowly spilled out of him yet again. No matter how many things he had solved, the stresses would only come flowing back, causing him to rethink and re-plan almost hourly. Such a task would have driven any person mad… For his powerful logic; the form of insanity would simply take longer to give its full effect.

Gazing at the ceiling lamps, he wondered his fate. It was one of the few free thoughts he could have that did not concern priorities and decisions. Though all his strategies would eventually affect his fate, he knew full well he wasn't in full control of this situation… a fact that troubled him to no end.

"Professor Bill…"

"Dana, it's just Bill."

A woman wearing lab attire and long golden hair adjusted her posture uncomfortably. She stared at the man she had spent the last two years working for. The prodigy named Bill. A young Pokémon Researcher of great renown.

The scientific community had found his lack of focus on a single field to be amateur – his risky experiments to be his inevitable downfall – and his ideas and research to be quack at times.

Yet she saw him differently. Despite being older than the boy by five years, she was fascinated by him. His works were ingenious, his theories were profound, and his confidence and love in his passions were unbreakable and astounding. He was an inspiration, a visionary, and a misunderstood master.

The day she had been chosen as an assistant was like a dream come true. And every hour spent with him felt like a fantasy she'd never wake from. She loved working with him, she loved seeing his efforts come to fruition, and she loved how much he depended on her humble self.

…but the dream was ending, and it was time to wake up.

"Sir, please…" Her hands trembled as she grabbed onto his sleeve. She wanted to shake him, to slap him across the face, anything at all to make him get up and start running. "Team Rocket is almost here! If you do not leave now, we won't be ab–"

His dark eyes locked onto hers. Just one look from him would always silence her – as she'd listen to anything he had to say as long as he'd look into her eyes.

"Dana, I won't be leaving. I cannot abandon my work."

"We've already–"

"_Yes yes…_ my research papers and my smaller prototypes. You can tell them to leave with it now. Ensure that their journey is safe."

The lab assistant took a step back. "_S-Sir…_ what do you mean?" Her eyes filled with tears.

"I know what your plan was, Dana." Bill turned and looked into his fireplace. Its warm lights flickering fiery reflections in his eyes – a sight that built up his determination. "…you were planning on staying here for me, and seeing if you can protect it yourself."

"How did you…"

He looked back at her, silencing her once again. "I wouldn't be a very good Researcher if I didn't know what my assistant was thinking, would I?"

Her cheeks turned rosy. _"Professor…"_

"Go with them. I will not abandon my work."

She stomped her foot, almost breaking the heel of her footwear. "**NO.**"

"Dana…"

"**Bill**. I **won't** go. I am staying here with you."

Before he could say anything, she had run to the back door and waved off the delivery trucks.

The vehicles instantly revved and drove off in a panicked speed.

She slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Dana, what are you doing…" Bill was about to stand. He was pushed back down by his assistant, who would not face him.

She ran to the console across the room and activated several security systems, effectively locking them inside the building. With a press of a button, the side-wall opened, revealing several poké balls ready for use. With a sweep, she had gathered them into her sleeves and pockets.

The Researcher walked over and grabbed a few for himself.

"No, Bill." the woman gave a voice that seemed to command down at his smaller size.

"I won't stand idle." His eyes closed and his hand gripped onto the ball. "If you're willing to risk everything just to protect me…"

She glared at him, refusing to cower to any commands or suggestions he would give. He may have been senior in status, but she was senior in time. Nothing would stop her from protecting the stubborn boy.

"…then I'll do everything in my power to protect you."

Those were the last words she had expected from his mouth. The surprise had caused her to drop several of the poké balls she was carrying. Her cheeks turned redder as she clumsily tried to pick them all up.

He bent down and placed his hand on hers. Her trembling stopped.

"We'll do this together…"

A single tear fell from her eye, a smile forming gently on her lips.

She nodded with a cheerful expression.

"Very well, Professor."

"It's Bill."

* * *

><p>Fourth night. Dark clouds. Strikingly bright moonlight. Lighthouse.<p>

A luxio of black-silver fur appeared from the forest, its electrical fur slowly dimming as it scanned the horizon with its piercing yellow eyes. Its thoughts of loyal obedience to the commands it was given suddenly blanked into excited tension. There was a certain spark in the air, and it knew that it could mean only one thing. _Trouble…_

Three figures soon followed.

Sabrina, wearing midnight black coat to match her hair, entered the open air, her eyes adjusting to the shocking white of the moon. Her recently smiling lips quickly turned into a frown. With the psychic waves no longer blocked by the forest's natural barriers, she could completely read what awaited them. _I feared this…_

Ash, dressed in a simple black long sleeve with dark green patterns, stood beside her, his hands locked around her elbow. The dangers sensed by the prior two were easily noticed, but exiting the energy-filled woods allowed him to feel the thickness himself. _There's so many of them…_

Landing softly from a long-distanced leap, the blue-and-black-furred lucario began glowing with a mystical hue. Individual hairs on its skin stood up at the menacing auras that hung heavily in the air. _Maylene, come quickly…_

The bond shared between a pokémon and their trainer is often strong, especially when the two have spent years together. It was no surprise that Maylene, covered in a light outfit that challenged the cold night wind, stumbled out of the forest soon after. Not having the extra senses of her preceding companions, she ran up to the edge of the cliff to find the peril they faced. A smirk ran across her face, the sight below being far greater than what she had expected. _I was hoping for a fight…_

Seeking to find out what all the commotion was, Angie burst from the bushes in a rather plain gray and black jogging suit. She ran up beside Maylene, eager to see what had caught everyone in its silence. Her eyes widened. _At least we know who we're after really is a threat to them…_

Covered in dark hues of blue and gray, a rather well-dressed girl stepped uncaringly out of the darkened trees. May was indeed curious of her team's reactions, but her irritable mood had prevented her from showing any care. Ash's words still stung at her, putting at her in conflict with herself again. These thoughts would continue to bother her as she closed the distance between her and the boy. The sight of what was ahead, however, threw away any and all petty concerns. _Oh no…_

Ahead of the seven, an army amassed.

Like an ominous sea of black and red, Rocket members marched and formed, their shapes silhouetted by the white reflection of the moon. Lined and sectioned into different groups, Kanto Pokémon of every type and color growled, hissed, and howled for battle. Patrol groups flew above and climbed below, ensuring that no incoming do-gooders would be able to catch them off-guard.

"I think we better move…" Angie backed away from the cliff. "We might get spot–"

Staring directly at her, a Team Rocket member held a radio up to his mouth. A golem stood by its side, halfway into an attack stance.

The tomboy pulled a poké ball instinctively. _"Shoot!"_

…

The man and pokémon had not moved. It was as if they were frozen in time.

Sabrina stepped towards them, her arm reached out in their direction as a strange aura misted from her shoulders.

"_**Girls, please remove this man's clothes.**_"

May's face turned red. **"Wh-What?"**

Angie and Maylene gladly walked forward. Knocking the Coordinator slightly off balance, the tomboy responded to her reaction with annoyance. "_Geez May, it's not like you're dating him._ Quit getting so excited."

The fighter grinned mischievously. "I know I'm excited."

"You're just a pervert. Undressing every Rocket you find." Angie teased.

"You know it."

The two girls worked quickly in removing every object that was attached to the frozen Rocket… other than the only thing that kept him from being completely susceptible to the elements.

Taking the clothes and items, Sabrina floated the stolen goods toward Ash. "_**Go into the woods and dress into these. Maylene, lead him there, and I suggest you use that Team Rocket outfit you were saving.**_"

"_H-Hey!"_ May protested. She was too embarrassed to say anything else against the command. Though Sabrina read her thoughts quite well.

"The outfit she carries is only for male figures." the Psychic commented professionally. "Your figure would not allow you to wear it comfortably. And she is the only one of us who knows how Team Rocket really works.

"…unless you're suggesting you'd like to dress Ash." She raised her brow.

"_I. __**Uhm**__. I…"_ May blushed uncontrollably.

Sabrina turned away, focusing her full attention back to the two frozen patrollers.

"Come on Ash~!" Maylene wrapped her arms around his elbow and began dragging him. "Let's get to know each other better."

A stutter and stiff movement was his only response.

The fighter turned and stuck her tongue out at the other girls right before she disappeared with Ash behind the pitch-black leaves.

May was upset, to say the least. However, Angie had other worries.

Facing the army was a destroyed lighthouse. Smoke rose from large tears that pocketed the structure. Water leaked from protruding pipes that were ripped from their original placements. The foundation was flattened from hundreds if not thousands of steps. And innumerable attacks had scarred and burnt most of the architecture, with only a single block building to the side being its lone survivor.

Moving shadows and figures within the reinforced windows gave a slight comfort, their existence showing that there was still stood a last line of resistance to hold a defense.

_But for how long?_ Angie wondered.

She turned and walked towards the two enemies that were ready to report their position. _If they had caught us, we wouldn't stand a chance._

"What are we going to do with these two?" She poked at the man, who seemed to only breathe heavily in defiance.

Sabrina swung her wrist downwards, covering the man in a deeper shade of purple.

He fainted immediately.

Angie jumped back in surprise.

"He will not wake for a while… and he will not have memories of this night once he does."

The Psychic turned towards the golem and tensed her thoughts.

"_G-Go… lem…"_ The Boulder Pokémon struggled stiffly as his body involuntarily walked towards the edge of the cliff.

"**What are you doing?**" May panicked. "The pokémon was only following orders!"

It rolled into a ball shape, shaking in fear.

"You mistake me for a murderer?" Sabrina gave a cold smile. "This golem will be fine. _I cannot say much for the people below, however._"

**.** The Rock Type Pokémon started spinning in place, accelerating with every second.

"Oh this is going to be awesome." Angie crawled to the edge, looking at the rolling hills below.

"_We're readyyy~!"_ Maylene popped out from the woods, dragging an extremely embarrassed Ash back out into the open.

Disguised in Rocket apparel, the two seemed like a matching no-good duo. Their outfits blended well with the darkness, except for the striking red _'R'_ formed on their chests. Clothes were not the only items changed, as their hairstyles were also altered to seem far more clean-cut and menacing.

Still forcing the golem to speed itself, Sabrina turned towards them and regarded their new outfits with a nod. "_**Maylene, Ash. Take the west road. You will be attacking them from behind. With your disguises you should be able to get passed several of them easily - do not hesitate to take advantage of that.**_"

The two nodded. Sabrina tossed a poké ball towards the boy. "_**Take Espeon.**_"

She turned towards the two girls. "_**You two will take the east path. You're to distract as many of them as possible. Back away towards the last remaining facility and you should receive reinforcement from the defenders inside. Take care to keep distance, as that will be the biggest factor for your victory.**_"

"How do you know any of this will work?" May's body was shaking in nervous excitement and utter fear. She felt sick to her stomach, but held her composure.

"I do not." she replied simply. "However, if we do nothing at this exact moment – we will lose our chance to save whoever is inside."

Both girls nodded to their assignment, adjusting their clothing and running strategies in their minds.

"_**Go.**_"

The teams split and ran in their different directions. Lucario followed Maylene. Luxio followed Angie.

"_Wait!_" The tomboy stopped and turned. "What are _you_ going to be doing?"

"_**I will be the one that breaks their will.**_"

Sabrina spread out her fingers, releasing her grip on the golem. The Boulder Pokémon shot out into the air, crashing and rolling down the cliff in impossible speeds, rocketing towards the crowds below.

The Psychic followed as she jumped off the ledge, her poké balls detaching from the belt and levitating around her body as she fell towards the ground below.

Angie turned and ran to catch up with May. "What a show-off."

A smile ran across her lips, the realization of the battle to come hit her with a rush of adrenaline. **"Let's steal the stage!"**


	17. Chapter 17 Distractions

Yells, roars, and screams rang out into the night sky. Plumes of dirt clouds and energy accented the sounds with visual interpretations. The scene above was an art piece itself created from the destruction below. Chaos overtook the world in front of the destroyed lighthouse.

An unstoppable force of nature was its source. Like an artist with the most uncontrollable muse, the Boulder Pokémon created a masterpiece of demolition as it rumbled through anyone and anything that stood in its way.

All that were cursed to come into contact with the beast were flattened, spun out of the way, or barreled into the surrounding panicked crowds.

With its momentum unleashed, Sabrina could no longer control its course or speed. Except for one trait.

_**Selfdestruct.**_ The battlefield and its participants were paved by orange, yellow, and red illumination for a few lingering moments. With a powerful psychic command, the golem had released a devastating blast in every direction – spreading damage and pandemonium within a massive radius. Rubble and other debris rained from the skies.

Team Rocket, Trainer and Pokémon alike, were left disoriented and confused.

Landing softly on the shattered ground, the Psychic studied the battlefield before her.

_**Alakazam, Hypno, Jynx, Kadabra.**_

A flash of red reflected against Sabrina's features. The four Psychic Pokémon released from their containers. Each one stood with calm confidence as their minds linked with their master.

Salvaging themselves quickly from the disaster, the Rockets charged towards the Psychic and her pokémon.

Rushing passed their slower companions, pokémon of pure speed howled in anticipation of battle. Jolteons sparked and barked, rapidashes whinnied and flared, golbats screeched and spun, pidgeots cried and darted, and persians growled and pounced. They spread out, avoiding crashing over one another while still racing to beat the other to their prey. Like a line of incoming traffic, the charging pokémon's elemental lights and eye shines revealed their pattern and positions – as well as their frightening momentum.

Sabrina nodded, a psychic command floated softly to her golden-haired pokémon.

Hovering to the front, the Jynx readied itself.

Grunting, the human-like pokémon shot its arms out. An expanding box of energy released from her hands towards the battle-bound opponents. In seconds, the box halted in its growth, revealing a cube of intangible light and power that covered a large portion of ground and sky – its blue glow humming softly in the darkness.

Tumbling the speeding pokémon to a halt within the Trick Room, Jynx held her stance and focus – waiting for her next command.

_**Hypno, Mass Hypnosis.**_

"_Hypnoo…"_ the exhausted pokémon sighed as it shuffled towards the struggling foes.

Its yellow hand trembled as it swung its washer pendulum slowly from left to right. _"Hyp… no…"_ it whispered to itself, timing its syllables with the sweeps.

Flashing its glare, the hypno let out a low groan.

Like a draining shockwave, an invisible force raked across the ground and through the field – making its victims fall asleep within seconds after contact.

**VSSSSSHHHHHHHH-KRAK**

The soil below the Psychic and her pokémon's feet tenderized and scarred as whips of plant green and forest blue struck at them from a distance. Sabrina and her party lost focus as they dodged and retreated several steps back in reaction.

Paused thoughts allowed a team of coordinated machokes and machamps to close the distance without opposition.

To their right, a wall of impossible brute force came in the form of charging rhyhorns – the world trembling underneath their crushing feet.

To their left, towering onixes zigzagged towards them – their stature casting ominous shadows with the full moon.

In the distance, teams of human and pokémon were forming for readied retaliations.

The Psychic reached out and captured the thoughts of one of the commanding members.

…_a scyther team coming from above, and a dugtrio team attempting to collapse the earth from below…_

_**Alakazam.**_ Sabrina calculated the plans in her head as swift as she could, fearing that any time wasted defending would give the enemy a greater advantage. _**Handle the scythers. Jynx, ready yourself for the dugtrios. Hypno, Rockets are charging soon after the onixes. Kadabra, come with me.**_

Her single-spoon-holding pokémon synced – instinctively searching for their next location.

The two disappeared into thin air.

Kadabra reappeared in front of the bulking machokes and machamps, startling them to a halt.

Sabrina fluttered back into sight, standing boldly in front of the furious rhyhorn stampede.

"MAAAA!" An over-muscled fist came down into nothingness. The intended Psi Pokémon target had vanished and rematerialized to the left of its attacker.

Enraged, the grouped muscle pokémon struck, pummeled, and clashed at and through the kadabra. Nothing but the cold night air met their fists. Their angered faces showed obvious hatred towards being toyed with.

Glad with their reaction, Kadabra ended the game…

"**CHA–!"** A machoke fell flat on its face, its body shut off in order to cope with an overloaded brain. A ripple of illusionary pain spread throughout its system – with nothing to convince its senses otherwise.

The Psychic Pokémon smiled.

Feeling a chill from the sight, the muscled pokémon backed away.

Kadabra loved Fighting Pokémon…

_Mind over matter…_ it laughed to itself… _yet it would be an unfair compliment to say that any of you mattered… _

_**Kadabra, focus.**_

_Yes, master. I apologize._

_**Forgiven. I applaud the pun, however.**_ Sabrina giggled to herself. Her normally serious mood was loosened and far more at ease.

Business and respect had prevented her mind from relaxing within the confines of Saffron City – her kingdom and castle. …the world that had hundreds of others like her, who gazed at and pried into her mind continuously out of curiosity or arrogance. They looked up to her to be the perfect Psychic representative for the rest of the world – a standard that would hold her to an eternal stress.

But here… even in the flurry of battle, her mind found peace.

It was a welcome vacation.

_**Focus, Sabrina.**_ She returned her thoughts to the wave of instinctual fury shaking the ground before her.

Spreading her hands out and gritting her teeth for the worst, the Saffron Gym Leader let loose a powerful psychic command – its force countering the physical vibrations with its own deadening power.

"**RRRWAAAAA–!**" A rhyhorn was lifted off its feet and launched skyward. Another followed.

Picked off one by one, the stampede slowly lost its power as each of its participants was forcefully removed from the equation…

…revealing a new charge taking its place, a line of proud arcanines.

The night air rustled against their cream fur, making their manes resemble soft embers that contrasted against their bright orange bodies. Like a badge of honor, they wore their orange as a direct challenge to any foe – their barks and howls reflected this virtue in audible form. They never hid or backed down, but commanded those who faced them to do so.

Sabrina coughed a curse as she rubbed a speck of blood off her nostril. Her body showed obvious signs of strain and exhaustion from her attack against the rhyhorns.

She shook off the weakness and prepared her mind for the next challenge.

_**Now where would my distractions be, I wonder…**_

* * *

><p>"Do… Do we even need to do anything?" May stared in disbelief at the pandemonium caused by the Psychic Gym Leader. Pillars of flame and spears of psychic energy decorated the starry sky. It was almost mesmerizing…<p>

…

"Angie?"

The Coordinator turned, only to realize she had been talking to no one.

"**YAHHHHHH!**" In the distance, a green haired tomboy bit and kicked as a group of Rockets tried to hold her down. Her luxio fought with similar fury and irrationality as it struggled in a battle against a herd of crazed dodrios.

May sighed in reaction.

**Click. Vacuum.** "Glaceon! Go!" **Snap.**

"Glace!" The icy blue pokémon barked in excitement.

"Now Glaceon! Ice Beam!"

A ray of white pierced and swung wide. Mists of snow formed where the Ice Beam cut through the already-cold night air, and patches of frost trailed the path it had followed. The winter blue pokémon slid gracefully along the icy trail, stopping at its edge to admire her work.

To her left, six Rockets froze in place, their limbs stretching out in panicked angles. To her right, four dodrios were captured in mid-jump; a wave of ice encasing them in their aggressive stances.

The rescued luxio didn't seem too pleased with the conclusion and gave a small grunt in the direction of his stolen victories.

Freed, Angie slid away from the ice sculptures and waved towards her savior. _"Thanks guys!"_

"Angie!" May waved back angrily. "Get back over here! We're supposed to be distracting them **TOWARDS** the building!"

"_I have no idea how that makes sense! I thought we were supposed to be PROTECTING the building!"_ she shouted back.

"Sabrina's already handling the main group! We're supposed to handle everyone else! And we need the building's support to–"

She wasn't listening. A new fight was already underway with another group of Rockets.

"_Why did I get stuck with her…_" May sighed in defeat. She turned towards her glaceon and smiled. "Come on, let's go save her butt."

"Glace!"

* * *

><p>"Come on, Ash, this way." Maylene held onto the boy's arm as she shoved through the crowd of alert Rockets.<p>

Not once did any of them look their way. Not once did they ever question their presence. Not once did they ever suspect who the two might've been.

It would have been a reason to be proud of their disguises and cunning, but it was the only reason that Maylene had felt shame.

She was too used to this. Too used to these people, too used to their ways. Their lingo and posture being almost instinctive for her – getting irritated by Ash's clumsiness and hesitation towards them – knowing exactly what her_ "colleagues"_ were planning – and actually still calling them _"colleagues"_ in her mind…

_Not too much has changed…_ She bit her lip, holding back the confused doubts that were ready to overtake her.

**Thak.**

A knuckled strike jabbed into her hip.

She turned. Ash was frowning at her – his punch expressing a hundred more messages than anything he could have said.

Exhaling, she threw away her thoughts. "You're right. Let's do this."

"_Lene…"_

_Hm?_ Maylene wasn't used to nicknames. The sounds of her shortened name were alien. "Ash…?"

No ideas of sweetness or cherishment came from his tone.

It felt weak, lost, and utterly confused. His forced frown added to the effect.

"…_the emotions…"_ he struggled to whisper.

Her eyes widened in realization. _How could I have been so stupid to drag Ash through all these people?_

"Sorry! Sorry sorry!" She crouched down, adjusting the Trainer's limbs around her body before standing again. Ash was being piggybacked. Not something he was used to, but definitely not something he could be opposed to at that moment.

"Sorry sorry sorry!" Maylene continued her eccentric apologies as she ran through the flood of people and pokémon as fast as she could. "Lucario!" She whistled loudly.

The blue jackal appeared by their side, ready for any command.

"Get us out of here!"

Bowing low, the lucario placed its head between the fighter's legs and lifted her onto his shoulders.

The totem pole of figures wobbled back and forth while trying to find balance.

Tilting forward, Lucario kicked off the ground, leaping the trio above the swarming Rockets – the flash of lights, screams, and explosions of faraway battles covering their unique form of escape.

They landed horribly. Crashing and tumbling off one another into an open area.

…

Grass stains and mud decorated their clothes. A few bruises and cuts would later reveal under their skin during a bath. Their ruined appearance made them fit the description of Team Rocket at the moment, as it looked like they had just been through a tough fight.

Maylene laughed loudly, realizing how much fun she had during that momentary escape. Ash tiredly laughed with her. Lucario simply stretched its limbs and patted dirt off its fur.

"_What do we have here?_" a strange voice grumbled above them. "_I hope you're not planning on abandoning the mission…"_

An intimidating man stood in front of them…  
>his hands behind his back…<br>his suit perfect and expensive…  
>his hat adjusted perfectly to shade his eyes…<br>and his face being _fearfully familiar_.

"_**It's Giovanni!"**_ Maylene rolled off her back and hopped to her feet, readying her stance.

The man frowned and tilted his head curiously. "What do you think you're doing, runt? Get back there and destroy that lighthouse! And it's _'Boss'_ to you!"

His voice cracked on the last syllable. Ash caught it. "_Wait…_"

The trainer weakly got off the dirt and adjusted his head, hoping to catch the man's voice one more time. "_…that's not Giovanni._"

"_Eep!_" the voice cracked again. It coughed horribly. "What! I mean, of course I'm Giovanni! I mean _the Boss_!_ Your_ Boss! You **dare** question me?"

Maylene squinted, slowly realizing that there was something obviously wrong with the man's face. "Wait a minute… you _**aren't**_ Giovanni!" Her stance relaxed. "Remove that mask!"

"_What mask?_ I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"_Oh give it up, Jessie, I don't think they're falling for it anymore."_ A blue haired man peeked up from behind a rock.

"**Now** they're not falling for it, you idiot!" The man's voice suddenly turned into a venomous female pitch.

"_Da' boss is goin' ta' kill us if he finds out we've been impoisonatin' him!"_ A cat pokémon popped its head above another rock.

"Would you two **shut up**! You're ruining everything!"

The _"mask"_ fell, its cheap papier-mâché design surprising the pink-haired fighter that she could have been fooled by it in the first place.

With the mask, the hat and wig tumbled off as well – springing a strikingly red hair back to its original, impossible shape. Exaggerated by moonlight, the face's features were obviously feminine.

Ash wanted to yell _'It's Team Rocket!'_ after hearing their voices and recognizing their emotions, but realized the redundancy of the exclamation.

Jessie's eye twitched, realizing that her cover was completely blown.

The cat and man ran up beside her and bowed profusely towards the three witnesses.

"Please don't tell the boss! We'll pay you anything!" James begged.

"Find it in ya' heart to feh'giv' us! We didn't means nothing bad! We's just upholdin' the Rocket Code!" Meowth blabbered.

"Who needs just one man if we can have all his pokémon? You understand, right?" James smiled stiffly in an attempt to be charming.

"Quit it you two!" Jessie knocked two bruises into their heads. She adjusted her posture and folded her arms. Her face uncaringly serious, as she paused in thought. "You little peons better keep this quiet. We've been sent by Giovanni himself to take care of this matter."

"Whatta ya' talkin' about? I tought da' boss told us not ta' interfer–_mmph! MPH!_" Meowth was shut silent by the woman's quick hands. She laughed nervously.

"Hm?" James walked towards Ash, tilting his head in curiosity. "You look familiar…"

The Trainer backed away, mimicking Jessie's same laughter. He did his best to adjust his outfit in the hopes that they would suddenly make him unrecognizable.

However, it wasn't the clothes James was studying, but his eyes…

"Wait a minute, you're–"

"**HEY! WHAT ARE YOU THREE DOING HERE?**"

"Whoops! Gotta' run!" Jessie grabbed her two companions and ran off into the distance.

A broad-shouldered man in a large coat chased the three off. He stopped halfway and turned towards the still-disguised three. "And what are **you **grunts doing out here? Where's Giovanni?"

"_Uhm…_" Maylene had no idea how to react. She had no clue who this man was or where his rank in Team Rocket placed him. None of his outfit revealed his purpose for the group – something that put her on edge. _All Team Rocket members show their rank…_

"Doesn't matter. He gave us a job and we intend to finish it…" The man's eyes turned dark. "…so _what_ _are you_ doing out of line? **We've got a bloody massacre going on out there!**"

"W-We were just heading back, sir!" Maylene backed away quickly.

"…get back here."

A chill ran through her spine. She stiffly walked back towards him.

He placed his large hand onto her shoulder. Maylene's teeth grit, suddenly feeling threatened and completely cornered. Lucario let out a low growl as well.

Inching his face close to hers, the man gave a smug grin.

_Ugh… his breath smells like fish…_ Her face winced.

"Maylene, is it?"

Maylene jumped away, only to be slammed into the ground by the man's quick grab.

"_A word to the wise…_ Disguising as one of us is a smart idea…" His boot found the back of her neck. It pressed down. "…**if **you weren't dressed in the same fashion as your old wanted poster, that is."

"_**HAAAH!**_" In a blur of blue, Lucario struck at his owner's oppressor.

"Hitmonchan, take him."

Three strikes. Lucario fell to his knees.

As if phasing into reality, an abnormally tanned hitmonchan dressed in Team Rocket uniform appeared over its beaten foe. It massaged its gloved hands, hoping that his victim would try acting brave.

Maylene choked, the large man's boot adding more force against her neck. Her struggles and attacks did nothing to persuade it otherwise.

"We know _all _about you Maylene…" he sneered as he pulled out a baton from his belt. "Tell me, where's that blind boy you always babysit?"

_Ash?_ Her eyes darted back and forth – the boy was gone.

She choked harder, as the weight on her neck increased. _N-No… not like this._

The weight disappeared. And she gasped back into life.

"**AAAAAAHHHHHHHH! AAAGH! MAKE IT STOP!**" The man screamed, his knees to the floor, and hands to his head. His hitmonchan followed with the same reaction. The two roared in unison.

Maylene and Lucario stood in bewilderment, seeking the cause.

Espeon.

The lavender cat glared, eyes shining red as it sat nonchalantly beside the fallen foes.

Ash stood beside her, his hand firmly gripped onto its back and his eyelids shut tight.

"Ash, what are you–"

"**IT WAS DOMINO!**" The man screamed. "**SHE TOLD US EVERYTHING! NNNGG! I PROMISE!**"

Ash squeezed Espeon harder, her eyes becoming fiercer in response.

The large man kicked and slammed his head repeatedly against the ground. "**IT WAS MY ORDER! I WAS TOLD TO FIND THE RESEARCHER! BILL! BUT GIOVANNI TOOK OVER THE OP! TOLD US TO CAPTURE THE POKÉMON INSTEAD! I SWEAR THAT'S ALL! I –**"

Silence.

The man and his pokémon fainted – released from the attack.

Espeon fainted with them, completely exhausted from the sudden outburst.

Maylene caught Ash before he could fall himself. "Ash!"

A soft smile appeared on his face. "_Gotta' thank… Sa… brina for teaching me… uf…_"

"_What the heck did you do, Ash…_" Maylene whispered quietly, letting the boy rest on the grass.

"I'd like to know that myself."

Maylene turned. Another suited man stood over his fallen comrade. The moonlit sky revealing his tall, yet slender form. His calm yet slightly smug face showed obvious arrogance. And like the other, he showed no sign of rank or function in Team Rocket.

"…though I'd take a guess that's why the boss wants him so much…"

The female fighter stood, readying into stance once again.

"The name's Copper, pleased to meet you." He bowed.

"…name's Maylene. And the one behind you is Lucario."

* * *

><p>"Now, now, two against one? That hardly seems fair." The man traced his fingers calmly through his long silver hair.<p>

"_RAAHHH!"_ Lucario's strike hit home. Jabbed between ribs, the lucario twisted its arm and released a shock of Aura into his opponent. Such a move would have been lethal for any human, but Lucario knew this man was anything but ordinary.

He didn't fall.

He was bent over from the first attack, noticeably in pain… but the aura shock did nothing to his senses.

Lucario released another blast of Aura. The light flashed at the end of its paw – and vanished directly into the man's body.

"Funny thing about Aura…" Copper grabbed Lucario's arm and squeezed.

"**HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!**" Lucario howled out in pain as it seemed to age within mere seconds, his Aura being consumed by the man's contact.

"**LUCARIO! NO!" **Maylene ran and tumbled into a roll, readying a kick to knock him over.

He hopped over the attack just in time. Before the fighter could cancel into a new technique, Copper threw Lucario's limp body towards her.

He adjusted his tie and swung his hair back. "…I tend to have a, let's say, a certain _affinity_ towards it."

The man ran towards Maylene, her body pinned underneath the weight of the black and blue jackal.

With an arrogant smile, he placed a fingertip onto her nose. "…and it works for humans as well."

…

Maylene blinked oddly at the finger.

Copper blinked oddly at her reaction.

…

He poked her nose. And poked again. His face becoming extremely frustrated and embarrassed.

"Why isn't it working? What's wrong with you?" He slapped his palm into her forehead, his face cringing in effort.

Her fist landed a blow across his face. "You should be asking yourself that!"

He toppled over. _"AHAGH!"_ a pathetic yelp escaping from his lips.

The pink haired fighter softly slid Lucario off her stomach and crawled back to her feet.

Just a few feet away, the confident assailant was on the floor, writhing as he sobbed pitifully into the hands that covered his face.

…

She sighed. _I can't believe I feel sorry for this freak…_

"Hey… you okay?"

Returning to a perfect standing posture, the man had recovered miraculously – his features perfect except for the obvious throbbing bruise showcased on his cheek.

He cleared his throat and held his nose up in pride. "Of course I am. But next time, my mysterious Maylene…"

An abra materialized next to him. "…next time, I'm afraid you won't be."

With a wink, he vanished into thin air.

…

…_what a weirdo…_

Maylene returned her attention to reality, where her beaten partner pokémon was slowly fading back into his normal state. She smiled in relief and leaned him against a nearby boulder.

"_Rest up, buddy… you did good."_

"_Hrrm…_" He didn't seem to believe that himself.

Looking around her, the fighter realized that the man and his hitmonchan were no longer there, as if they had never been present. Only the cold breeze of the coming morning stood in their place.

Ash, however, was sitting up – with the Sun Pokémon sitting up with the same disposition. The two looked dazed and weak, but functioning enough to still be a threat for any new invaders.

"Are you okay, Ash?"

"_Never… better…_" He smirked in her direction. "_Just… give me a sec._"

"OK…" She patted him gently on the head. "…but I've got to go now. We promised that we'd strike Team Rocket from behind, remember?"

He struggled to get up. "_Oh… right…_" He found himself forced back into his sitting position.

"_No, no._ You come help once you feel better. For now, rest up, okay?"

"_OK._"

She grinned and pulled out two poké balls from her pocket. "Maylene's gotta' get to work."

* * *

><p>The fearow screeched as it dove in for another attack. <strong>SFF.<strong> It was swiped away with a psychic slash.

It turned, flapping into a different angle to attack her.

The Rocket came again, swinging his electrified baton with renewed vigor. His baton leapt from his hand and beaten into his stomach.

The crowd circled. Their flashlights, night goggles, eye shines, lightning sparks, and fiery flares surrounded them with the effect of an angry mob hunting a monster. Many more Rockets were ready to find the perfect opportunity to strike.

Saffron City's Gym Leader was tiring – starting to make mistakes – losing focus – looking faint. But still she held herself in confidence.

No one would be allowed to get near _her kadabra._

The Psi Pokémon had taken a deadly poison into his system.

While such a status was something he normally could have managed through a quick meditation, the poison's effects had come from three arboks at once. No Psychic could handle that amount of venom, no matter how trained they were.

_**I need to get him out of here… **_

Teleportation, Sabrina's only method of travel that got her there, and her only method out, depended heavily on Psychic focus and visualizing the location she wanted to travel to.

However, she could barely manage the situation she was already in.

The battle was too long, the enemies far too plentiful, and room for mistakes was quickly becoming nonexistent. If she had tried to teleport out now it would mean certain death.

_**Kadabra, hold on…**_

She looked around, trying to find her other pokémon. To her relief they still continued their fight.  
>Jynx and Hypno were cornering a group of Rockets against a cliff. Alakazam had finished his tussle with the zubats within the dark clouds and hovered into a new battle with the magnetons.<p>

_**They will be fine, but not for much longer…**_

Sabrina realized that she had bitten off more than she could chew. She regretted her arrogance, but was willing to face the consequences. _**It was my fault…**_

Her cold eyes watered as she looked down at her fallen pokémon. _**I can still get you out of here, Kadabra… guide Ash and the rest to come rescue me.**_

_No…_ The poison was already ruining his mind, yet the Psi Pokémon still could not allow his master to do what she was about to do.

"I'm sorry Kadabra…"

A tear fell from her cheek. She knew exactly what sufferings she would be put through in the hands of Team Rocket. She had offended the organization more than once and had stopped far too many of their operations for them to be lenient on her.

It was time for her to face their wrath. _**At least this way**_**,** she thought, _**my capture will be enough to distract them from the boy…**_

She exhaled. The battlefield before her turned dark, its mental waves disappearing completely.

One by one, she found her pokémon's mental signatures, readying to relocate them first.

A rhydon was about to strike her with its horn drill, she could sense it perfectly – she had to act fast.

**FWHUSHHHIN**

The night air was abnormally sub-zeroed in temperature.

Sabrina's eyes opened, her focus completely broken by the unexpected interference.

The rhydon's mind _panicked_… its body frozen solid.

"**OUTTA' THE WAY!**" a voice Sabrina had forgotten about shouted out of the crowd.

The stubborn tomboy, Angie, was knocking out several opponents from behind as her luxio spread paralysis into the masses.

The Psychic's savior, the elegant Glaceon, twirled and danced in the air as it dodged several sloppy attacks, its trained skills meant for Contests giving it a unique advantage over the rest.

The unconfident fashionista, May, appeared shortly after. She squeezed between and jogged passed many bewildered Rocket members, as if she was late to an appointment they were all aware of. _"Excuse me~! Pardon! Thank you!"_

Sabrina's shoulders relaxed, the tension in the air suddenly gone.

"_**I thought I told you two to act as a distraction!**_" her voice spoke with authority, despite her soul feeling relief.

"_That's what I told her!"_ May shouted over the loud cries of battle.

Angie struck another opponent with her head, a dizzying attack that she regretted as she stumbled backwards. Shaking it off, she responded to Sabrina, _"How the heck are we supposed to be a distraction if you're the one getting everyone's attention?"_

"A valid point!" Sabrina admitted with a small smile. "Have any of you seen the other two?"

"**RIGHT HERE!**" Maylene crashed in, striking several enemies with rotating kicks.

Tyrogue and Machoke exploded through, their fists and tackles knocking away everyone that stood in harm's way.

The fighter rolled and stood in stance next to Sabrina. She quickly eyed the downed pokémon.

Without looking at the Psychic, Maylene quickly asked, "Is Kadabra okay?"

"As long as he is given time to fight the poison, he will be fine."

"Are you okay?"

"Much better knowing that you girls are here."

Maylene smiled. Tyrogue and Machoke set up defense positions around the Psychic.

"Where's Ash?" Sabrina choked the aggressive fearow from the sky with just an eye twitch – her mind finally able to focus on one opponent at a time.

"He's safe with Lucario. We got into a bit of trouble in the back."

"Clarification?"

"Met some higher-ups back there." Maylene struck a powerful punch into a charging henchman. "I think the same kinds that were hunting Ash that one night."

"And you fared well?"

"Kind of. If it weren't for Ash – _HAAH!_" She countered a baton strike with two quick kicks to the arm and head. "Then we might've never made it out of there."

"_CHOOOKE!"_ A ramming blastoise was wrestled away from the two women by the amped machoke.

In the enclosing crowd, several waves of Rocket members found themselves being lifted into the starry sky above. Sabrina lowered her hand, allowing them to fall freely. "Is Espeon with him?"

"Definitely. By the way, he did something with Espeon that he said he should thank you for…" Maylene ducked. A kick flew over her head. Sabrina turned and forced the hitmonlee back to its poké ball. "Thanks. Anyways, I think you know what he was talking about."

The Psychic nodded. _"A technique he shouldn't be using so soon."_

**KRAK.** Maylene's knuckles cracked on impact with a female Rocket's chin. "You think you could teach me something like that?"

"I'm afraid not. You have no attachment to Empathy or Aura."

"Ah. I was afraid of that."

A psychic **boom** launched several figures off the ground.

Outlined in psychic blue, Jynx and Hypno had finally broken through the sea of Rockets to meet up with their trainer.

Hovering down beside them, Sabrina's Alakazam returned from his aerial struggle – staring with worry at the downed kadabra.

"Looks like we've got backup." The fighter grinned in thankfulness.

**Bomf.**

Pretending as if she hadn't tripped at all, May ran up to the gathering team with a smile. "How's it going over here?"

"Good, but you really should watch your step." Maylene teased.

A venomoth fell to the ground, encased in a block of ice. Glaceon landed with finesse in front of her owner. "Glace!"

"Angie should be heading this way soon." May confirmed as she adjusted her bandana and eyed the enemies around them.

Walking silently in, Luxio found an open spot to protect and sat obediently.

"**Incoming!**" Angie body-slammed on top of Maylene. The two fell over with yelps and struggling kicks.

"**Ow!** **What the heck, Angie?**"

The tomboy's eyes were lit up, sparkling with a grin, as if she were a child in a candy store.

Maylene pushed her off, weirded out by the expression.

Angie shot up and howled in excitement. "**ISN'T THIS AWESOME?**"

The three other females blinked at her oddly.

She spun in place and gestured to the scene around them. "We're like the epic heroes that save the world or something!"

Sabrina smiled. Her heart warmed at the thought of such an innocent view of the trouble they faced.

A flashlight in her eye made her wince and return her attention back to the battle at hand.

All around them, the Rockets were questioning their will to fight. Seeing the few that had decimated their countless numbers crowded into a solid team, hesitation and worrying forced them to a standstill. Someone had to make a renewed assault in order to inspire the rest… yet each waited for the other to start it.

"Look at 'em! Shakin' in their boots!" Angie giggled in continued excitement. "Hey, **hey**, watch this!"

She ran out towards the nearest group of Rockets, roaring like a madwoman.

Startled, the targeted Rockets, both trainers and pokémon, fled from the area.

Entertained beyond belief, Angie fell to the ground, laughing hysterically.

"Remind me not to let Angie near any sugar." May half-joked.

Sabrina stepped forward.

Surveying the breaking crowds around them, she concluded that it would only take one last action to push them into a retreat. "_**Their will is broken. It's time to finish this.**_"

Her eyes closed and her breathing slowed. A puff of frozen air misted from her lips.

…

_Fear. Absolute fear._

_Anxiety. Suspicion. Paranoia._

_Panic. Vulnerability. Dread. Looming danger._

May found herself about to run, but her sense stopped her in her tracks. "Wh-What's going on?"

Maylene was shivering, trying to shake off whatever it was that plagued her. "I have no idea!"

The pokémon seemed to be in uncertain alarm as well.

Angie, however, seemed absolutely immune to it. She stared at each of her friends in curiosity.

Her eyes locked on Sabrina. _A strange sense coming from her._

In an instant, the feeling ended. But its effect had worked: Team Rocket was retreating.

Those who were the most frightened were already gone, caring little for those who remained behind.

The brave stayed and dragged the unconscious away from the field, their expressions, gestures, and vocal reactions showing signs of complete urgency.

Pokémon were returned to their poké balls or ridden on to escape.

What caught the group of females' attention were the giant tunnels that opened up for only a few minutes, the main routes Team Rocket seemed to be taking in and out of the area.

Maylene wanted to chase them into the closing tunnels, but the feeling of fright still hung over her body.

The tunnels closed completely, silencing the panicked shouts of the Team Rocket members that once flooded the large field.

Only the last howling winds of night stayed.

…

Deep blue turned slate blue as the sun slowly graced the region of Kanto.

Morning arrived.

Maylene punched the ground in protest. "What the** heck** is wrong with me? I can't move!"

"It's a Psychic Shriek." Sabrina said calmly. Her eyes were glazed – her focus not being on what was around her. "A technique I invented. It can force anyone within its vicinity to have thoughts of fear and despair. Very effective in clearing areas."

"Why didn't we use that earlier?" May asked, her body relaxing knowing that she wasn't having a panic attack.

"And how come I didn't feel it?" Angie was slightly disappointed.

Sabrina fell back. Alakazam catching her with care.

"_One…"_ her strong voice turned weak. _"…it drains me. To use it prematurely would be foolish."_

The girls crowded around her, worried that their most powerful had suddenly become their most vulnerable. They checked her pulse and temperature. Pale skin and tired eyes were revealed by the slow-crawling sunlight.

She shook their head at their concerned facial expressions.

"_I am fine."_ she simply stated and continued, _"Two, the Psychic Shriek is only effective against those with weak will."_

Maylene seemed to take offense. Angie, on the other hand, felt pride.

The Psychic sensed their reactions. _"…that is not to say Angie has the strongest will of us – her excitement merely made her rather ignorant of any weaknesses… in contrast, Maylene, you found yourself vulnerable… due to the earlier fights you exhausted yourself in…"_ She rubbed her forehead, hoping to calm the spinning headache.

Maylene seemed satisfied with Sabrina's answer and nodded with appreciation.

The tomboy cared little, she still found herself invincible.

However, the Coordinator felt shame, knowing that it was her own insecurities that made her experience it.

…

Sabrina's silence proved it for her.

The Psychic Gym Leader was many things – _but she wasn't a liar._

"Then what about Ash?" Maylene's question released everyone from their personal thoughts. "Ash was in pretty bad shape. What if he ran too?"

May and Angie looked around in concern. **"WHERE'S ASH?" **they asked in unison.

"I left him and Espeon with Lucario… the three were pretty beat up from the fight we were in."

The two girls were about to yell in protest. The idea of leaving the one they were supposed to protect alone, especially in an area that was swarming with Team Rocket members, was irresponsible beyond their belief.

Sabrina cut them off, _"They were not in the vicinity of the Shriek, as far as I could sense… they will be fine."_

Angie took off in a run.

"Where do you think you're going?" Maylene shouted.

"_I have to check on Ash!"_

"You don't even know where he is!"

"_Well it'd be faster if you just told me where he is! Otherwise I'm just gonna' run around like an idiot until I find him!"_

The fighter sighed. She pointed in the direction where she last left the boy.

Without even a thank you, she sprinted east, her figure turning into shadows as she headed towards the rising sun. "**AAAAASH!**"

Luxio followed.

May bowed politely in gesture and jogged with Glaceon to the location given.

Maylene was about to join them, but Sabrina grabbed her by the wrist. The fighter looked back with concern.

"_Check up on the inhabitants of the building… we need to ensure that they are safe."_

With a nod she turned herself around. "Right. Let's go, guys."

Tyrogue and Machoke dutifully trailed their trainer.

The fighter laughed embarrassingly to herself. _I completely forgot why we were here…_


	18. Chapter 18 Support

The woman adjusted her golden hair, trying to hide the split ends. They'd show no matter how many times she'd try. Her posture would always look awkward no matter how many times she changed it. And the items on the side table would always look disorganized no matter where she moved them.

The place was a mess, she was a mess, everything was a mess – and there were guests. _What a mess…_

"Dana, could you please prepare our heroes some tea?" Bill smiled gently as he patted her arm.

She calmed down and nodded, leaving for the small kitchen… _which was also a mess._

"Oh no, _'heroes'_ is a bit much." May scratched her chin nervously. "We were just doing our best to help."

"And we are more than grateful."

Sabrina crushed the polite air with her bluntness, "That is not entirely true. We came here for a reason, Professor."

"It's just Bill."

"Very well, Bill. We came here for you."

Cups and dishes clattered in the background.

The Researcher angled his head towards the kitchen. "Don't worry about it Dana, they don't mean any harm by it."

He faced the Saffron City Gym Leader. "At least, I'd hope I'm correct in that assumption, Ms. Sabrina."

She nodded and continued petting the boy's head on her lap. "The young man came here to talk to you. We are in need of your help."

"Mr. Ketchum." Bill stared at the sleeping Ash. His sleeping body snoring quietly to itself as it twitched from unknown dreams. "…I haven't seen him in quite some time."

He looked back up, regarding Sabrina with his attention. "And what was it he needed?"

"_You mean you don't know?"_ Angie's foot kicked upwards, revealing her location behind the couch._ "An entire army from Team Rocket comes knocking at your door, and you have no idea what they want?" _her voice was slightly muffled due to her position.

May dropped a book behind the couch.

"_Ow! What was that for?"_

The Researcher responded, "I know quite well that Team Rocket was here because of Mr. Ketchum. But as to why Mr. Ketchum specifically, and what I had to do with it – I was given no prior explanation."

"This is going to be quite a long story." Maylene passed her water bottle to Lucario. "Where do you want us to start?"

"That won't be necessary." the Psychic removed the offer.

Bill nodded. "Yes, I'd prefer Sabrina's methods of recall, if that is fine."

"_Hm_?" Maylene tilted her head. "…**OH!** OK! Right… Psychic-stuff."

"_Conveniennnt!" _Angie pronounced lazily as she threw the book back at May… missing entirely and knocking over a vase. _"…oops."_

May rushed off her seat to clean the accident.

A cheerful, pink pokémon beat her to the chore. "Chansey~!" It waved her back to her seat as it started sweeping.

…

…

Other than the noises of tea being prepared, cups and plates being organized, and the sweeping of broken vase pieces, there were no sounds.

Bill and Sabrina stared into each other's eyes with intent. Despite this stillness, the Psychic continued to pet the sleeping boy's hair… a position that Espeon seemed quite jealous of as it tried to encourage any of the other girls to give her the same treatment.

None of them really understood its begging-gestures, as their minds were elsewhere.

Angie was coming down from a battle high. Its intensity forever etched into her mind.

_I never realized adventuring could be so… epic. I should've left home years ago! Can't wait to tell everyone back home about these adventures!_ She grinned happily to herself, reenacting the scenes of fighting in her head, with added flair _just to make it more interesting._

Maylene observed with curiosity the meditating kadabra off at the side.

_Psychic Types are so… weird._

…

_Er, pure Psychic Types, that is._ she clarified as she smiled at her meditite. It hovered beside a sleeping nidoqueen, having its own meditation session.

Lucario busied himself with studying the room around him… finding items that could be used as weapons, possible exits, and the strengths and weaknesses of each creature that lived underneath its ceiling.

For the moment, he was on guard duty. And any duty he was given, he took seriously. It wasn't too different from his free time activities, as he even treated games and relaxation as deadly-serious business.

The Coordinator May found herself in a daze. Her focus blanked as she unintentionally stared at Ash's sleeping body. She was thinking of something earlier, but the slow and methodical movements of Sabrina's hand had hypnotized her into forgetting everything.

Tyrogue spent its time sizing up the larger pokémon in the room, trying to intimidate those that challenged his glare.

And Bibarel sat with a blank look and mind. It was counting the specs on the wall as if they were important to their mission.

Many more pokémon found something to occupy their moment of rest within the small facility.

Dana had returned from the kitchen, quietly handing out cups of tea and offering small treats to compliment the drink.

Alakazam seemed especially grateful for the relaxing drink and atmosphere. Its mind far more concerned with the present condition rather than past or future happenings.

Jynx ignored the tea and continued brushing her hair in front of a small mirror.

Hypno thanked Dana in place of the uncaring jynx and helped himself to some of the snacks.

Machoke refused, knowing that he couldn't wrap his massive fingers around any teacup without crushing it.

The Researcher's Assistant continued to make her rounds around the room, offering and giving, bowing and smiling. She wasn't used to guests. Strangers yes – but not guests.

_I hope I'm being a good hostess…_

Leaving Bill's tea and scone on the table between them, she uncomfortably sat back down on the chair. She found herself adjusting her hair and posture once again, hoping that she wouldn't look like_ such a mess_.

The Pokémon Researcher's eye twitched. His attention no longer occupied in his own mind.

Dana sat up straight in reaction. She held her breath, as if breathing would interrupt any conversation from starting.

"I see…" Bill stood. Dana exhaled. He looked at her strangely before continuing. "…I'm still not fully sure why Mr. Ketchum chose me for help, but I do believe I can offer some assistance."

Angie's leg appeared again. _"We're becoming like an army! Woo!"_

"I won't be coming with you, however."

Every creature's attention, other than the sleeping Ash's, turned to Bill.

…

He seemed to notice the attention and felt on edge. "I can still help, but I have to see to the moving of my laboratory."

Dana was about to stand, Bill knew what she was going to suggest. He raised his hand to prevent her from adding anything.

"**Both** Dana and I need to supervise my laboratory's transfer, I'm afraid."

Raising a finger to the air and twirling it playfully, Bill spun and marched cheerfully to one of the many cabinets that decorated his walls. "However! We can still stay in contact."

"_Ain't that what vid-phones are for?"_ The tomboy's foot twitched as if it were the one talking.

May smacked it back down. It retaliated with a kick… that flung its shoe at the cleaning chansey.

"…_oops."_

Maylene sighed as she apologized quietly to the helpful pokémon. It responded back with a smile… though she wasn't sure if it was a new smile, or the same smile it had been wearing the entire time.

"Video phones are far too archaic in this day and age." Bill returned with a flat pad. He adjusted it to prop up on the coffee table that sat in the center of the room. "And Pokédevs are far too unreliable with their poor signals."

Pressing a button on the corner of the device, the large screen lit up with a _**Chime~**_ .

The guests all stood and peered curiously at the sleek piece of technology. Except for Ash, who was now sleeping upside-down on the couch.

Icons and text floated around the display. A quiet charming tune played as the items continued to dance inside the screen.

"I call it the Pokétab. Consider it similar to a pokédev, or even a laptop, but_ far _more effective." Bill pressed a few objects on the screen. Small windows appeared; each showcasing understandable functions and eye-pleasing visuals. "As you can see, each of the icons on the screen offers an easy-to-use program that you'll find useful in your journey. It has the standard items found in your pokédev, such as communication and a pokémon encyclopedia _– updated by yours truly –_ but it also has…"

He touched a few more icons. "…a Poké Ball Transfer System, maps of every recorded region, notepad and sketch functions, photo and video camera options, battle strategy programs, music player, geographi–"

"**MUSIC PLAYER!**" The three young women dove for the device.

Bill moved it out of the way immediately. Causing the three to crash and break the coffee table.

"…_oops."_

"I'm sorry girls, but this is a delicate device." Bill presented it to Sabrina. "As it is not built to take as much damage as a pokédev, I'd feel comfortable if the most responsible of you carried it."

The pokétab's screen fuzzed in static when it touched Sabrina's arm. The Gym Leader backed away. "_Ah…_ us Psychics aren't very… _technology-friendly._"

"_Ah,_ yes… _well…_" Bill judged the three girls on the floor. "Very well, May, if you will?"

The Coordinator jumped for joy as she grabbed the pokétab for herself. "**YES!**"

"Be very careful with it." the Researcher scolded as he loosened her grip.

She bowed. "Yes, of course!"

He sighed. Scratching his head and looking into his fireplace, he continued his previous explanation, "Use this device to keep in contact with me. I will offer you whatever information you need for your journey.

"Team Rocket must not succeed with their plans. And while that means I must help you – it also means that I must protect my own researches. I'm afraid I've found some information they might find too useful for their current project."

"Destroy it?" Angie suggested plainly.

Bill and Dana laughed.

The tomboy blushed, feeling like she said something completely stupid.

"No, no, _no…_ I will be doing no such thing." the Researcher commented as he wiped a humored tear from his eye. "Besides, this very same research can help you on your journeys as well. To rid of it now would be a travesty to science and a wasted benefit for all of you."

Dana nodded in quiet agreement.

"We need one more thing, Bill."

The room turned towards the sound of the voice.

"Ah,_ Ash_. Greetings. I'm glad you've recovered."

Ash still sat upside-down, but his eyes were open and awake. Still blind and looking at nothing in particular, but still open and awake.

The boy rolled over and allowed Espeon to crawl onto his lap. "We need some pokémon, Bill. Ones that we can ride."

…

"…_hm_… I'm not sure how much we can spare. My Assistant and I need to move out of here as soon as possible, and we'll need all the hands we can get to ensure that every item is successfully transferred."

The golden-haired woman added, "The nearest towns with delivery trucks are at least a day away. We simply cannot risk that time waiting for them."

Ash frowned. "_So…_"

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can offer in transportation." Bill said coldly.

"Wait!"

Eyes turned to Maylene.

"I saw Team Rocket use a tunnel to get here. Do you think that tunnel can get us where we want to go?"

"That depends where you want to go…"

"Johto." Ash answered. "Somewhere near Violet City."

"_Ah yes…_" Bill adjusted his coat and stared at the ceiling. "…yes, I believe if you take the southwest tunnel, near a large waterfall here, that should take you straight to Johto."

"Wai-wai-**wai-wai-**_**wait-wait!**_ _**Hold up!**_" Angie rolled off her back and stood, confronting Bill face-to-face. "You _**KNEW**_ there was a Team Rocket tunnel here?"

"Tunnel**s**, to be more exact." he clarified.

The tomboy scratched her head in bewilderment. "Why would you stay here knowing that there's tunnels? And not report it to anyone?"

Bill explained nonchalantly, "Ms. Angie, there are tunnels_ everywhere_ in Kanto. Team Rocket's known for their love of digging. These tunnels are a part of the region's geography at this point. To report it would be like reporting a new pebble in a gravel mountain."

"This region's getting more and more backwards the more I learn about it." Maylene sighed.

"Weren't you a Rocket?" May asked innocently. "How is this new?"

"A Rocket girl from the **Sinnoh **region." she countered. "We had tunnels, but not this many tunnels… and especially not tunnels that were _common knowledge_."

The Pokémon Researcher coughed. Attention returned to him. "Not common knowledge. Only a few of us know of their existence… and I'm not supposed to be one of them."

"Not supposed to be?" The fighter found herself confused by the phrase.

"Rocket business is League business." He shrugged. "League handles big Team Rocket activity, civilians stay out of it. I'm considered a civilian. I'm not _supposed_ to know."

"So how _do_ you know about it?" May pressed.

"I am a Researcher. Not just of Pokémon, but anything and everything else I find interesting. That includes what business Team Rocket has on my property."

"Yet you didn't even know what they wanted from Ash." Angie replied, earning another hit from May for rudeness. "_Ow!_"

Bill laughed. "Well I certainly know better **now**. Research successful!"

Dana and Chansey clapped childishly as a tiny celebration.

"But I digress. I can offer you the key needed to continue forward… if you are sure you want it."

"Any reason we shouldn't want it?" Ash was ready to snatch whatever key Bill offered, but felt the need to ask anyways.

"It's a Team Rocket tunnel." the Researcher stated simply. "No one but Team Rocket goes in. No one but Team Rocket comes out."

"Other than Lance." Sabrina finally added to the conversation.

"Obviously." Bill shrugged. "But that's an unfair comparison for anyone else."

"I wanna' meet this _'Lance'_ guy people keep bringing up. Sounds like he can do whatever he wants." Angie admired.

"Lance **is** the League here in Kanto." Sabrina admitted. "He very well could do as he pleases, and we would have little choice but agree to it."

"Why aren't we recruiting him then?"

"His business is his own." Bill excused. "Considering he manages League business, often disappears into other regions whenever he feels like it, and handles more than just Team Rocket when it comes to facing evil organizations – I doubt _anyone_ would be able to pull him from his duties."

"There are even some rumors that he often saves the world from problems like the one we face on a monthly basis." The Psychic yawned and walked over to Kadabra to check up on him. "The rumors tend to become rather ridiculous and exaggerated, but it just goes to show his influence and importance in the region... it would be an honor to work with him, but I also share doubt that we can obtain contact with him. He always finds himself rather busy."

"If the rumors are even half-true, however…" Dana joined the conversation again. "You'll more than likely end up running into him – if your business really is as urgent as it seems."

"**Of course it's important!**" Angie was offended.

The woman was taken aback by her reaction. "I… _uh…_ didn't hear your group's story earlier. I'm not Psychic."

"Oh… _uh…_ sorry."

The two looked away from one another, waiting for the awkward moment to pass.

…

"The key, Bill?" Sabrina approached him.

"Very well." He walked over to a different cabinet and produced a strange, small rod. "Here we are."

Dana politely took the object and handed it to the Psychic.

Bill nodded in their direction and made a gesture with arm motions. "Simply swing the rod in an _'R'_-shaped fashion next to the waterfall, southwest from here, and the tunnel should show itself to you."

Sabrina nodded to her comrades, with a _mental nod_ towards Ash.

The group bowed in unison and thanked the two Researchers in their own manners.

Bill and Dana bowed back.

"To good health and safety?" The Assistant raised her teacup.

The group raised their cups in **cheers**.

Except for Ash, who wondered why he never got a cup.

* * *

><p>The sun was setting, and all but a single soul was asleep.<p>

Beside a rushing waterfall, a camp was set and readied. Its bodyguards, a lucario and a Psychic, sat facing in opposite directions. Though their eyes were open, they saw nothing – as their consciousness had fallen into slumber just hours before. Within sleeping bags and blankets, the other inhabitants, human and pokémon, slept soundly.

The battle the group experienced took its toll on them all.

Except for the single soul.

May sat up, staring at the rocky wall. A rocky wall they were told to be the entrance to a secret tunnel.

**Click-click-clickick. Clickick-click-click.**

She toyed with a strange rod-shaped device in her hand, spinning and turning a mechanical wheel. She was unsure what it did, though she assumed it did nothing as this was her fourth time spinning the wheel all the way around.

_**Chime~**_

The pokétab was activated again. It was the third time she turned it on since they left Bill's lab. And it was the second time she stared at its geographical sound map.

_So go straight forward… take the first left… then…_

…nothing. The sound map could only chart so much until it faded to black. Even with the little information the device could obtain, it already showed how massive the tunnel was. Like a maze, there were far too many sections that split off into dead ends or smaller passages.

_Left._ May repeated to herself.

_Left _was the only path that reflected anything close to an area with a transport. Whether a car, a wagon, or a small passenger train – all she knew was that the object moved back and forth according to the echolocation images… and that smaller objects, _possibly Team Rocket members_, would separate from it whenever the moving object stopped in one section.

She sighed and placed the pokétab back into her shoulder bag.

_What do I do…_

Since the battle, the Coordinator had felt fulfilled. For once she was directly helping the journey move forward. For once she felt that their chances of rescuing everyone would be far slimmer if she wasn't there. And for once she knew that she was an important part of the team.

But as the hours passed, memories of past events trickled in. And everything came crashing down into a single thought and concern…

_Should I?_

Her eyes laid on the rocky wall again. The rod trembling in her hands as she considered using it.

Looking to her right, Sabrina was still asleep… the woman's eyes gazing into open air as a soft snore rumbled from her nose.

May's fingers gripped tightly to the device. With limp determination she gestured an _'R'_ with small swings. Her eyes closed shut, regretting the action, wishing that she had never thought about it, hoping that she had done it incorrectly.

…

No sound.

She let out a sigh of relief as she slowly opened her eyes, expecting to just see the rocky wall again.

A gray hallway with hanging yellow signs and red arrows. Florescent lighting marking every major section. A humming of conditioned air flowing out. A ticking of the device in her hand, counting down how long the entry would stay open. Tunnel.

"_Oh no…_" she whispered with a voice of disbelief.

…_now I have to go…_

Any and all hesitations were shut out of her mind as she stood. In a single fluid motion, she inhaled, wrapped the shoulder bag around herself, latched her poké ball belt onto one of her belt loops, adjusted her bandana, threw the rod device in Sabrina's direction, and jumped into the opened tunnel.

Rolling into one of the walls, she let out an exaggerated gasp – her breath no longer held.

The open tunnel entrance suddenly changed into a dead end. No sound, no warning. It was solid as if it was never an exit or entrance.

She stared at the once-entrance wall, finally realizing what she had done.

_I'm in…_ "I'm in."

Quickly turning her attention to the other side, she found the first left turn.

_There it is!_

A step forward, and she hesitated.

_What am I doing?_

_What do you mean 'what am I doing'?_ She fought her fears with her determination. _Why do I keep getting scared when I'm alone? I'm stronger than this! I know I am!_

Still, her foot wouldn't move forward.

_Come on, May! You can do this!_

She took a step back, wanting to run towards the dead end and claw at it.

_No! I can't do this on my own! This is suicide! This isn't just some Contest! This is a Team Rocket base! And you're all alone! You can't do this… just…_

Gritting her teeth, she took five steps forward.

_This isn't a base. This is just a tunnel. That means there's more than one exit, and plenty of places to run! It's meant for travelling, and that's what we're doing here!_

_But why… why are we here…?_

Flashes of Sabrina, Angie, and Maylene appeared in her mind. Two images, Ash holding onto Sabrina and Ash sleeping on her lap, especially haunted her conscious.

_Because Ash needs someone dependable, not a just a pretty face._

She wiped off a tear and pulled out a poké ball.

"Help me out here…" **Click. Vacuum.**

**Snap.** "Blaaze…" The humanoid bird yawned, its eyes opening slowly.

"Sorry to wake you, Blaziken… I just need some company."

Grunting, it stretched its legs and rotated its shoulders. After a quick shake of the head to bring its focus to the fore, it turned towards May and nodded.

She responded with a thankful smile. "We better hurry then."

* * *

><p><em>Someone was missing.<em>

The first thought to cross Ash's mind as he slowed his gulps of air.

Espeon stared at him curiously, almost innocently unaware that sleeping on a person's face makes them suffocate. Ash frowned in her direction, wanting to let her know that he didn't enjoy the experience of waking up in that manner. The lavender cat didn't seem to care too much.

With a few slaps to the face to remove the irritating fur from his cheeks, Ash snapped his consciousness to complete attention and sat up. "_Someone's missing…_" he mumbled his thoughts – no, his emotions.

There was something absent in the air. A certain energy that he had just gotten used to again, was gone – again. He tried feeling it out, wondering where it could have gone, and more importantly, who it was. All other emotions and vibes still hung, danced, dimmed, and swung in the air lazily – each unique flavor representing a person or pokémon within their group. Yet of all of those, a single one was missing.

_May…_

No feeling of _sunshine_ and _warm friendliness_ surrounded the area. Even when she was asleep, there would still be traces of her personality hanging softly in her direction. But it wasn't there…

It wasn't hidden, trapped, changed, altered, or locked up. It just _wasn't there_. A disturbing idea.

His thoughts first wandered to the worst, believing she was kidnapped or worse… but he realized how unlikely that idea seemed. Everyone else was still there, and more importantly, he was still there. He was Team Rocket's target, not May, not anyone else. It was a fact that was pointed and spoken out so often that it had been enforced to a ridiculous degree.

The tent he had slept in was not his. The pillows, the blankets, the backpack, and even the food packed near his resting area weren't his. It was not his choice to sleep in the tent, and it wasn't his choice to have it in the center of the camp. If he had it his way, he would've been out there with everyone else.

But he was Team Rocket's target. No one else. And for that, he was protected like a jewel. A reality that he hated and was uncomfortable with, but one he had to learn to respect – as his safety was important to the outcome of the mission.

Yet in this safety, in this protection, in this fortification, the others were left vulnerable… and no one else noticed that one of them had gone complete missing.

The team's _sunshine _was gone, and he was the only one to notice how things dimmed without her.

Ash crawled out of his tent, with the faithful Espeon in tow.

He checked his surroundings one more time to be sure.

_Alert, attentive, strict… but simmered down, as if slowed into a stasis._ Sabrina asleep on watch duty.

_Caring yet stern… also asleep._ Lucario.

_Infatuation with the pillow…_ _definitely Maylene sleeping._

_Fighting something… showing acts of bravery. Subdued._ Angie dreaming.

_Blissfully oblivious, as much as they are when they're awake._ Bibarel.

_Comfort… a special blanket…_ Machoke.

_Meditation, battling what's left of the poison…_ Kadabra.

_Exhaustion and wishing to no longer care… just for a few more hours…_ Meditite.

_Self-obsession even in slumber…_ Jynx.

_Trying to fall asleep, completely unaware that he already is…_ Hypno.

_Reliving past memories within lucid dreams… still alert of everything around him…_

_Alakazam!_ Ash ran up to the dozing pokémon.

Before he could reach him, Alakazam sat up and stared.

_**She went into the tunnel.**_ The overpowered Psi Pokémon spoke into Ash's mind.

_Wait… why didn't you stop her?_

_**She needs this.**_ It nodded. A flash of white transported the rod device from Sabrina's lap into Ash's hands. _**And you'll need this.**_

The boy felt the metal bar in his palm, noticing that it was still warm.

A small _psychic nudge_ returned Ash's attention back to the pokémon.

_Do not wake the others._ It spoke with a soft mental tone, even far more controlled than its trainer._ Take the rod with you. I will stay behind to guard Sabrina and the others – she will be informed of what has transpired after she wakes._

_Why are you doing this, Alakazam?_

_Helping you? Or Ms. May? Perhaps both…_ Its mind trailed to other concerns.

It returned with assured assessment. _We are not powerful enough to face Team Rocket at their full strength. The ones we face now are gravel in the face of mountains._

The fox-headed pokémon paused, a hint of its emotion showing through… _Worry…_

_Both of you are needed at your full strength if we are to survive this._

_Then why–_

_No more questions. She will find herself requiring your assistance in a short matter of time. Carry the rod and __**go now**__. We shall find our own way into the tunnel._

With a psychic suggestion, Ash's arm unwillingly spun the metal device in an _'R'_ shape in front of him.

Any chance of refusing disappeared as Espeon ran into the opened tunnel entrance.

The boy chased after, shoving the rod in his pocket and following the trace of emotion fading into the passageway.

_**You must find her and help her, Mr. Ash. You must help her find herself.**_

The tunnel entrance faded. And only a wall of rock remained.


	19. Chapter 19 Guidance

"Blaziken! Dodge and Fire Spin!"

"Kricketune, stop and use Double Team!"

"_BLAAAAZE!"_ A pillar of fire shot and erupted into the red Cricket Pokémon.

The target vanished on impact, leaving nothing but the nearby crates to be engulfed by the vortex of flame.

"Far too slow, little girl." A woman of dark complexion sat comfortably on a small railing. Her uniform marking her as another member of Team Rocket. "Tell me… How will your lovely pokémon dodge another Perish Song if it doesn't know where the next one will be coming from?"

Humming in strange warbling patterns, a trio of kricketunes danced in different corners of the room.

"_Blaziken…"_ May slowly reached for her poké ball belt.

"Are you _sure_ you want to do that?" The woman smirked. Her foot hovered over a small cardboard box on the floor beside her. "We agreed to a simple one-on-one match, remember? You win, I let you through. You lose, your pokémon's mine."

Using her heel, she tilted the box – revealing several cases of poké balls of all types and colors. "However, if you want to go back on such a reasonable deal… _you can see how well you do against a small army…_"

May's hand pulled away, balling into a fist.

Letting out a laugh, the woman moved her foot away from the box and kicked her feet in careless glee. "I heard of the trouble you and your friends gave my fellows out there… but you'll find that the ones in here aren't incompetent buffoons. _Kricketune_? Would you please add another pokémon to my collection?"

"Kriiiiiiiiiiiii**iiiii**–" All three kricketunes slid their bows together, letting out a low rumble.

May and Blaziken winced as a sharp tone ripped through the air.

Smiling, the woman grabbed a pair of headphones wrapped around her neck and snapped them onto her ears. **"You can't dodge it this time!"**

A high pitch shrill shrieked through the air as a melody of chaos crashed towards the Fire Type Pokémon from three directions. One aimed high, one aimed low, and one aimed straight forward – leaving no room or angle to evade.

While May knew that two of the three attacks had to be fake, a one-in-three chance of getting hit was not a gamble to take lightly.

"Dive for the top, Blaziken!"

"_BLAAAYY_ –" The blaziken had jumped towards the highest song blast, only to be struck silent.

A wave of white surrounded its body and shut its consciousness off. The Blaze Pokémon crashed into a column of steel and fell quietly onto the cold floor.

"**Blaziken!** No!"

The remaining Perish Songs shattered into soft hums as they came into contact with a wall. The two false kricketunes vanished with them.

Laughing like an arrogant schoolboy, the woman hopped off the railing and spun happily to the defeated pokémon.

She stopped with a mocking pose and kicked the pokémon's body. "Oh my my, he _really__** is**_down for the count! Too bad his trainer didn't realize that sound, even if mimicked, is _**still **_sound." She gave out another laugh as she yanked the headphones off her ears.

"_Wh-What?"_

"Little girl, _I warned you_ that there was no way you could've dodged that attack. You should've just given up while you had the chance." Standing up straight, she turned and held out her hand. "Now hand me his poké ball. _I'll take good care of him._"

"_**No!**_" May reached for her poké ball belt. **Click Click Click. Vacuum.**

"_Really?_ You_ really_ want to do that?"

"Venusaur! Wartortle! Delcatty!"

The massive pokémon and its smaller teammates appeared in offensive stances in front of their trainer. They growled at the sight of their fallen friend.

"_Have it your way…"_ The woman walked casually towards the box.

"Delcatty! Blizzard!"

A wall of ice blocked the woman's path completely.

…

For the first time since May had met her, the woman frowned.

"…you little _**brat**_!"

**KllllkakakkakAK!**

Electricity cackled menacingly from her hand. A steel baton sparked as she pointed it towards the Coordinator.

"_**You…**_ I've had a wonderful day until now! You just **HAD** to ruin it, didn't you?"

May backed away, slightly frightened by the woman's sudden mood change. "V-Venusaur! Vinewhip!"

"**KRICKETUNE! FURY CUTTER!**"

"_KRI! KET! KET! KET! KET!_" One strike after the other, the kricketune redirected the incoming whips. With each slash it took a stride forward, closing the distance.

"Venusaur! Retract your Vinewhip! Delcatty! One more Blizzard!"

Delcatty took a deep breath, its lips forming frost.

"**RYAAAAAAAAAA!**"

"DELCATTY!"

"**AHA-AHAHAHAHAAAAAAHAAAA!**" Eyes crazed in rage, the woman had struck her electric baton against the cat pokémon's back. Her laughter halted as she issued more orders. "Kricketune! Rain some **sound** on their parade!" She ducked and re-covered her ears with headphones.

"KRIIIIIIIIIIII**IIIIIIIIIIIII**_**IIIIII**_–!" A high powered Screech ricocheted and echoed against the steel walls of the large room, changing in pitch with each bounce-back.

May and her pokémon crumpled. The Cricket Pokémon was far too close and its attack far too powerful to be avoided or defended against.

Unable to cover its ears effectively, Venusaur was the first to faint.

Wartortle, Delcatty, and May struggled against the pain that shook every organ and bone in their body.

"**My kricketune's Screech is similar to a virus inside your systems!"** the woman shouted over the sound and walked over to May. She nudged her chin with her boot, forcing the suffering girl to look up at her. **"As long as you hear it! Your brain's going to keep sending ALL the WRONG signals to your body! Painful, isn't it?"**

With a sweep, the woman grabbed May's poké ball belt. **"Or maybe it's like a tuning fork! Every object has a breaking point when it comes to sound! Including brains!"** She laughed heartlessly.

"**Of course…!**" she continued. "**This wouldn't have happened if you just played fair and square! I had just the most horrible month! Paycheck came in too late for the rent! Car broke down **_**twice**_**! I was demoted for something another person with the same name did! And to top it all off, I was transferred to this dreary region just because of you and your friends' meddling!**"

The woman pried Delcatty's paw away from her ear, the Shriek no longer blocked. She fainted in seconds.

"**I just wanted one day! Just **_**ONE**_** perfect day!"** She returned Venusaur and Delcatty to their poké balls, shoving them into her pockets. **"I was even being nice to you! Making deals! Making reasonable rules! Well that's the last time I do that! I'll tell everyone that I steal from that **_**you're**_** to blame for my rotten attitude! And –**_** AAAHH! OUCH! YOU LITTLE CRETIN!**_**"**

Trying to move away Wartortle's arms from its ears was a big mistake, as she had earned a large bite mark from the attempt.

Angered, she tackled the tough Turtle Pokémon to the ground and wrestled with its arms.

The Screeching continued, preventing May from doing anything, though her soul begged her to.

_No… I can't let it end like this… I was supposed to clear the way for them… I was supposed to find the way to the other side… But now… I'm such a failure… I'm so weak… I'm useless…_

_I'm sorry, everyone…_

The Screeching stopped. Kricketune continued to make noise, but it was no longer a Screech. It was… yowling.

May blinked open her eyes and uncovered her ears.

The kricketune was hurt. A burn mark was on its shoulder, a hiss of smoke floating off the wound. Its owner ran to its side in a panic. "**Kricketune!** My poor baby! _What happened?_"

A ball of blue energy struck the Bug Pokémon's face, knocking it unconscious.

"**KRICKETUNE!**"

"_That's an Aura Sphere!"_ May's eyes lit up. A smile of excitement shaping her emotions. She struggled to her feet and turned. "**Lucario! Sabri**–"

Her excitement was cut short by a gasp.

…

Down the hallway that led to the room, a young man stood. His hands outstretched, his arms trembling from exhaustion. His hair was a mess, his shoes barely tied, and his shirt on backwards. And his face… one that she had memorized almost too well… one that she _often took for granted_, she realized.

"**Ash!**"

"Now Espeon!"

A feline pokémon of lavender fur ran around the corner, dashing quickly down the passage and growling with fury. The gem on its forehead shined.

The railings ripped away from the walls and floors, twisting and bending until they wrapped around the Rocket and her kricketune.

"_Wh-What?"_ The woman struggled to break away. To no avail.

Espeon hissed loudly, its gem glowing brighter.

An aura of psychic blue covered the imprisoned Rockets, lifting them off the ground and slamming them repeatedly against the floor. The woman had already fainted by the fifth slam – yet it continued.

"ESPEON!" Ash snatched the raging Sun Pokémon from the ground. "**ESPEON STOP IT!**"

The blue energy faded and the gem lost its light. Espeon grunted in upset understanding… its fur relaxing.

"_Geez Espeon, I told you to just do a Quick Attack…_"

She turned away and hopped away from his hands, trying to show no care for his words.

Ash laughed nervously. "So..."

He turned. "May? Wartortle? You two okay?"

Arms wrapped around him as the young woman wept into his shoulder. Her usual emotion of _sunshine_ resembled a _cloudy day, its dark clouds covering any hope for warmth_. Her body trembled, her breath skipped erratically, and her tears abnormally hot.

She was more than relieved to see him. Yet she was more than ashamed to need him.

"_I'm sorry…_" was all she wanted to say.

* * *

><p><em>I'm useless…<em>

"_You're not useless._"

_I'm pathetic…_

"_You're not pathetic._"

_You saw me… I couldn't do anything…_

"_Her kricketune was powerful. I don't know if I could've won that fight._"

_But you did… you weren't even affected by the Screech…_

"_I did get affected! I can barely even hear right now. You were just too close to the attack._"

_Then I let them get too close…_

"_May, stop it._"

In the corner floor of a small subway car, the two friends sat quietly.

The other seats were taken. A mixture of men and women of all ages, all professions, uniformed and casually dressed – all members of Team Rocket – sat and stood within the cramped underground transport.

No one noticed them.

The young woman sat between the man's legs. His arms around her shoulders as she pet a tired espeon to her left… To everyone, they looked just like any young couple that joined Team Rocket. Relationships were often bound to happen within the group, as it was the only thing that kept most of them steady.

And the two's depressed yet comforting posture was common for rookie Rockets. Every single one of the passengers have been there: questioning the morality of their choices, wishing to go back home, or wondering if any of this would lead to a better life… _you get used to it_, many of the passengers thought when they glanced their way.

_If they only knew_, was what Ash thought when he first sat down. Though he questioned whether or not any of them didn't know. It seemed as if one man recognized him, but deemed himself _on break_, moving interest away with lack of care. _Or maybe he took pity _on them, as May was obviously miserable.

Whatever the case was, Ash was thankful. And whatever the case was, he only cared for the Coordinator at this point…

_Why did you come here? Where are Sabrina and the rest? _her thoughts continued. Her mood far too depressed to consider herself worthy of speaking.

"_They're still sleeping… I came here by myself._" and Ash continued his whispering consoles. "_I realized you were gone and I came after you._"

_But why by yourself? Why not wake the others? …and you took the rod… how are they going to follow?_

"_I… don't know really._" Ash wanted to talk about Alakazam and his words. But he had no idea how to phrase them that made sense to even himself. He was too confused about the entire situation, but glad he had arrived just in time. The situation he had found May in was far too close for comfort… and if he had been even a minute late, things would have gotten far worse.

… _you… you don't even need others to save the day. You can do things by yourself… I can barely even last on my own…_

"_That's not true. I couldn't have gotten this far without all of you. And you've done great as a Coordinator on your own! I always needed someone to journey with me for my Gym Battles, but you were able to make it by yourself. And already you're a world famous Coordinator._"

_And what are you? You're popular in every region you've set foot in… and not to be mean, but… Ash, you never even won in any of those Leagues._

Ash's eyebrow twitched at that fact. A shameful fact.

_You don't even need to win in any famous battles to be known. You've gotten 2__nd__, 3__rd__, and even 4__th__ place on so many competitions – yet people still remember those competitions because of you._

The Trainer wanted to cry at the humiliating statistics his friend was giving.

_Not to say anything bad about Brock, Tracey, or anyone else you travel with… but you'd still make a difference in this world without them. I don't think we've ever followed you for convenient's sake… you really are an inspiration to follow, Ash._

He blushed, though conflicted on how to feel with the sudden change of compliments.

_Anyone would follow you… I know you've saved the world more than once. I don't know why you never talk about it… We were there, we saw it ourselves… we talk about it all the time… You saved the world, we were just there to give moral support…_

"_May…_"

_I mean, I don't even know everything about you, Ash. Dawn probably knows more than me… Angie probably knows more than me… People who have spent less than a month with you probably have a million stories to tell about you. You have more reason to brag than any of your rivals, but you don't… Why? You're amazing, Ash! Why?_

…

Pride would have been the first thing most Trainers would have felt with those praises. But to Ash…

"_Someone needed to do those things. Anyone else better than me would've done it faster._"

_That's not true, Ash… Look at yourself! You've got Aura, you've got Empathy, you're fighting blind, and you snuck into a Team Rocket tunnel! These guys are probably too scared to fight you! Maybe that's why no one's done anything about us yet! No one would've done it faster, Ash… because no one could do it like you do…_

"_May… please…_"

She was crying. Tears dripping onto his arms, her body shaking again.

_And what am I? A top Coordinator with all the ribbons she wanted and more. A self-reliant girl who's featured on more than one magazine. And probably someone who could get into the League if she tried! _

Her fingers clawed into his legs. Her sobbing slowed. _…yet you came here to rescue me… when I was here to help all of you. We may be talented and great, Ash… but not where it counts. You have everything where it counts… _

…_I'm just some girl. Just some shallow girl. Just some pretty face that everyone will forget once someone beats my record._

Ash held her tighter, pressing his chin against her shoulder. He wanted to help her, but he didn't know how. He wanted her to stop feeling those things, but he had no idea where to start. All he could do was deny her claims and be there to catch her tears.

"**That's not true, May!"**

His outburst made the other passengers feel uncomfortable. Many turned away, some made coughing sounds, and others covered their faces with books or newspapers.

…

She was silent. Not wanting to give him a chance to make her feel better. She wasn't fishing for compliments… she wanted to just dig her grave.

May was tired of Ash rescuing her. Tired of him saving the day. Tired of him wasting his time and risking his life for someone unworthy. She hated his Empathy. Hated having no place to hide when she broke down. Hated having no way of covering her ugly side. Hated having to be so honest even when she never wanted to be.

She wanted to push him away and run. She wanted to go somewhere he could never save her. No more risks taken, no more time wasted. In her eyes, she wasn't worth it. In her heart, she wanted to be. But in her soul, she believed she could never be.

"…_I'll always remember you, May…_"

Her heart paused.

"_I can't make anyone remember you. I can't make anyone see you for how great you are. But I know I will always remember you… And I know I'll always see you for how wonderful you are. You mean a lot to me, May. Even if you think I don't need you, I just want you to know that… I always want you with me._"

Her face turned pink, her mind racing with denials, her heart melting too fast to build walls, and her soul not being able to reject any of his words…

His words… _so full of love, so full of care…_

She rolled, turning towards "_Ash…_"

Pushing her lips towards his, her mind went blank.

Her kiss met steel.

The train jostled, slightly rocking its passengers in different directions.

**Vrrrrrmmmmm.**

The subway doors opened. Ash stood and allowed Espeon to jump onto his shoulder.

"Seems like we're already here."

"_Phya… thheemth wak et…_" May mumbled against the wall that stole her kiss.

He reached down, offering his hand. "Come on, May."

She looked up, facing the man that had stolen her heart. There were no more doubts of what he meant to her. And though she wanted to tell him, this wasn't the time or place. _Not yet…_

With a smile, she grabbed hold of his hand and pulled herself up.

Three quick wipes and a shake of the head and she was ready – showing little sign that she had been crying just a few seconds before. "Okay, let's go!" she spoke with a sweet smile.

The three exited the subway, being swallowed up by the tide of comers and goers.

A fourth followed them unseen.

* * *

><p><em>Ash…<em>

"I know."

The man that had recognized them in the subway was following them. Still following them. For an hour, around every corner, down every hall, Ash had noticed him. The stranger's stalking emotions were hardly subtle.

Originally, Ash had wanted to confront him earlier on, but his constant training and meditations with Sabrina had taught him that patience and careful research was key to finding victory in any foreign situation. He still wasn't completely sure if he was cut out for that kind of thinking, but… _He hasn't attacked so far… and he had a lot of chances when we were still around larger crowds… Getting impatient would've probably gotten us into worse trouble…_

May, on the other hand, was completely panicked. Her entire time walking was spent guiding Ash. It was a sense of closeness that kept her completely distracted. All other traces of attention were used for reading the sound map the pokétab had given her.

She hadn't noticed the man until now. His footsteps echoing in the empty warehouse area were impossible for her to ignore. She wanted to scream, to shout, to turn and attack, but she had to wait for Ash's call. He was calm; he had been calm this entire time. And she now depended on his unusually cool head to make the best decision.

_What do we do? Do we run?_

"_Two of us, one of them…"_ Ash whispered in response.

**Tap Tap.** Espeon pawed at his face.

"_Three, I mean."_

_Which pokémon do I use?_

"_Which one of yours is able to fight?"_

_I've got Beautifly and Snorlax. I can also get Wartortle out if you need him… but he's still a bit dizzy._

"_On three, take out Snorlax."_

_Got it._ She reached for the poké ball attached to the front of the belt.

"_One…"_

Espeon tensed.

"_Two…"_

**Click. Vacuum.**

"**Three!** Espeon, Quick Attack!"

**Snap.** "Go! Snorlax! Focus Punch!"

The Sun Pokémon vanished from Ash's shoulder. A large red aura shined between the two and their stalker. An enormous pokémon with a cat-like head poured in from the light.

"SNORRR!" The snorlax struck its arm down at the Rocket member.

The man dodged with a roll and lifted his hands in surrender. "**Whoah whoah whoah! **Guys! **It's me!** Trace– _OOF!_" Espeon reappeared with a spinning pounce to the side of his head.

He crashed into a wall and stopped moving.

"**Tracey?**" the two yelled in unison.

They ran to his side.

* * *

><p>The story of the escape was told to Ash and May – Misty's efforts, the breakout, the undercover run, the rescue of fellow prisoners, and finally, the split up. The two listened intently and intensely, both barely able to believe what their friends had gone through.<p>

They sat in attention in the corner of another large room. A collection of crates acting as their seats and chairs.

Team Rocket members passed by every now and then. To them, the three humans and pokémon were fellow members on break. Many of them showed envied expressions, wishing they had such lax schedules.

A few of them nodded in their direction. Tracey, in full Team Rocket uniform, waved back casually.

He continued his story, "Misty took Pikachu and Dawn to find Anabel in the East Sector. Ms. Ketchum, Mr. Mime, and Brock led the other prisoners out the vents that led to the ports. They might be in Alto Mare by now. Ritchie and Casey headed west to see if they could stall any of Team Rocket's other projects. Todd and I split up to patrol the subway sections – to see if any patrols were being sent out for us.

"We had literally just split fifteen minutes ago… We honestly didn't expect to find any of you in these tunnels…"

Ash fell back, dropping his weight to the crate on his back. He released a long sigh.

"It's like we fought for nothing." May spoke Ash's thoughts.

Tracey patted her on the shoulder. "Don't speak too soon. We still have no idea where Anabel is… and we are still split up… Until all of us meet again, I don't think we should feel like we've all escaped."

"When and where are all of you planning to meet?" The Coordinator pulled out her pokétab and opened the Notes section. The sketch-artist stared at the device with great interest.

"Well, we won't be seeing Brock's group for a while. They won't be meeting up with us – we consider them safe now. The rest of us will still meet, though."

"**When and where?**" May pushed.

"Vientown in Almia."

"Almia? That's all the way to the east!"

Tracey lowered his voice to a whisper. "_And it's the only region that has active protection against Team Rocket._"

"Then why didn't you send my mother there?" Ash spoke up.

"_The travel to Almia would be far too dangerous. It may be the safest region, but Team Rocket circles the roads and waters that lead to it._"

"Then cancel that meet."

"What?" Tracey stiffened. "W-Why?"

"Because we're not running." Ash stared at the sketch-artist, his blank eyes still having stern determination.

"_Great… _First Casey and Ritchie, now the one we were all trying to save wants to face them head-on. What next?" He turned towards the Coordinator. "What about you? You feel the same way?"

She nodded. Placing her hand on Ash's.

"Do you guys even know what's going on here? Team Rocket's after you, Ash! Do you even know why?"

"They're trying to capture and control Arceus by using some kind of power that makes them anti-Aura, anti-Psychic, anti-Empathy, and anti-Physical. They're either trying to kill me to stop me from stopping them, or they're trying to capture me to use me in their project. Everyone I know that can help me or has something they need, is being captured one after the other. And it all started after I gained Empathy, because apparently that was one more sign that made me resemble someone in a prophecy that's able to stop them."

He took a deep breath. "Did I miss anything?"

Tracey's face was pale, his jaw slightly ajar. "….**I-IS THAT WHY THEY'RE AFTER YOU?**"

May wrestled Tracey's head down, covering his mouth.

Two passing Rockets stared at them.

"Th-Those darn cops, am I right?" May laughed nervously at them.

"Been there before, honey." One of the Rockets responded. The duo walked away.

The Coordinator smacked Tracey's head before letting him go. "Watch your volume, jerk."

He scratched the back of his head and laughed embarrassingly. _"S-Sorry."_

His face turned serious again. "But… that's _really_ why they're after you?"

"You didn't know?" Ash tilted his head.

"**N-No!** We had no idea why!"

"Then why did you ask him if he knew as if you knew?" May sat next to Ash.

The sketch-artist shrugged. "I thought it was a rhetorical question… to, you know, discourage you from doing anything stupid."

Ash lifted himself to his feet and pulled his arms into his sleeves… adjusting the shirt as he just realized that the tag was on the wrong side. "Now that you know, what are you planning on doing?"

"_I…_ I don't know… _I don't even know._" He ran his fingers through his hair in distress. "I don't think I even understood everything you just said! What do you want us to do, Ash?"

He thought about the question for a few moments – wondering what Sabrina would tell him to do, while still getting what he believed was best for the situation.

"If you can get into contact with them…" he began with a nod, "tell them to take the train you found me on. Sabrina, Angie, and Maylene should be taking it soon."

"**Angie's safe?** Thank goodness!" Tracey hugged Ash in excited happiness. "When I saw you two, I thought you were all that was left from the attack!" He pulled away and frowned slightly. "Honestly, we had no idea if any of you guys were captured yet or not…_ or worse…_"

Tapping his finger against his lip, he blinked curiously at May. "But wait… I thought they said you went back to Hoenn…"

"I did. And I came back after Ash called me for help."

"How? By plane? Is that a safe form of travel?"

May laughed. "_No way!_ I was attacked more than once! Barely got out of there unscathed!"

He returned his attention to the young man. "So after we meet up with them, what's the plan? …and you realize that such a large group won't look very… _inconspicuous_, right?"

"Just tell anyone that asks that you're being sent to go after Ash Ketchum." May nudged Ash's arm. "They'll believe you."

Tracey gave an unsure smile. "_Okay…_ Well, what do we do after that? And what about Anabel?"

"If you find her, you find her, but… I get this _weird feeling_ in my stomach that tells me she isn't here." Ash's intuition was being honest. Something was hinting him that no fellow Empathic was in the area… wherever Anabel was, she was _long gone_.

_Find the one in charge of all this and you'll find her._ is all Ash could feel. It's all he ever felt since he went inside the tunnel… and now he knew what it meant. "Find whatever you can about any other prisoners or who's in charge of all of this." he continued. "Then head for Violet City. This hallway leads to there."

"Got it." The sketch-artist nodded and started sketching an immediate map of the area. As he sketched and continued his study of their situation, he found himself impressed by the boy's assertiveness. _He sure is growing up fast._ "_One thing, though._ All major exits to cities are guarded. You need a metal rod to let you through. If you wait here, Misty's carrying one she got off a guard."

The Trainer showed one of said rods.

"_Geez_, you guys have thought of everything… so what's at Violet City?"

Ash smiled in confidence. "Our new way of traveling."

* * *

><p>Four mawiles stood in their path.<p>

A bored member of Team Rocket sat on a stool nearby. His eyes completely on his pokédev.

"_How do we…"_ May worryingly adjusted her posture.

The Rocket raised his finger, silently asking for a minute as he finished his game.

…

…

"_Aaand_, there." He closed his pokédev and looked up. "Show me your Rocket Rod."

Ash presented the device.

Taking the rod from the young man's hand, he inspected it.

He paused, eyeing the two_ suspiciously_.

_Oh no…_ May reached for her poké ball belt. Ash stopped her with a quick grab of her wrist.

"_We're fine…"_

The man handed back the rod. "You're clear. But you should get a replacement for that rod. There's a newer model back at the armory."

"S-Sentimental value." the Coordinator quickly responded.

"_You sentimental types…_" he sighed and shook his head. "Anyways… **Stacy, Fina, Liandra, Jazz,** let 'em through."

The four mawiles moved aside. One of them unlocked and opened the door for the two trainers.

Each of them bowed as May and Ash passed.

The Empathic took interest in them, as each of them had a very distinct emotion. _Bored. Tired. Dutiful. And cheerful._ They were sisters, as their _family connection_ showed well in their feelings. Ash considered them to be an interesting collection of pokémon, and wondered what they liked to do on their spare time. He also wondered if any of them would be good friends for any of his pokémon.

The _cheerful_ one looked up at Ash, somehow being able to see that he could sense her feelings.

It _winked._

Ash shivered at the thought and hurried out the door – no longer interested.

May patted the cheerful mawile on the head. "You girls are real hard workers."

"Please don't pet Jazz. She's known to follow strangers." the Rocket mentioned as he returned his attention to his pokédev.

The Coordinator moved on and passed through the door.

Espeon stopped in front of Jazz and hissed. The mawile's hissed back with its mouth-horn.

The Sun Pokémon didn't seem impressed. It turned and followed Ash and May.

"…_darn rookies."_ The man continued his pokédev game. "Close the door, Liandra."

**Rrrrrrrrrrrrclick.**

The door had closed behind them, disappearing into the rock wall it had been built into.

"I wonder how many of these hidden doors and entrances Team Rocket has." May wondered as she poked and prodded at the once-doorway.

Ash didn't seem to answer.

Curious at his silence, she turned… letting out a small gasp at the sight.

A city of nature and concrete lay before them. Trees stood proud as their thick foliage raked the skies. Buildings sat in relaxed manners beside them, complimenting in a fashion that made them seem like cousins of the trees. And above is where the ribbon of beauty gathered everything into one magnificent view: Bird Pokémon of all kinds flew in the orange, afternoon sky. Their patterns and calls giving the town an almost seaside feel.

The wind blew. And with it, a hundred smells. _Sweet berries, soft blankets, fresh concrete, morning dew, and citrus perfumes_ were ones that May recognized…

Violet City – _the "City of Nostalgic Scents"_.

"Isn't this place beautiful, Ash?"

He shrugged. "It's okay."

May fell over.

She stood and crossed her arms. "Why can't you ever appreciate beauty?"

"I'm blind, remember?"

"You can still smell."

"_Not very well…"_

May sighed. "Just take my word for it."

He shrugged again and waited beside her.

She took one more sniff of the air… each fragrance bringing back memories of _home_ and _her past adventures_… each one _soothed_ her as much as they _hurt_ her.

And for one moment, the aromas had made her forget where she was, and what she had been doing.

She exhaled and looked at Ash with a distant look.

Within that short lapse of memory, she couldn't recognize him. _Who is this… Why is he waiting for me… What are we doing… Why should I keep going…?_

And just as fast it had disappeared, she recalled everything again in an instant.

"_Ash…_"

"Hm?" He tilted his head, unsure of what to think of her vanishing and changing emotions of the moment.

"_You're Ash Ketchum…_"

"_Er…_ yes?" For a second he had wondered if she had gone insane… or if he was mistakenly talking to someone new and didn't realize the change. Either way, he took a step back and scratched his head in nervousness.

"_We're here in Violet City… to find a new form of travelling, right?_"

"Y-Yes."

"…_from the Gym Leader, right? Falkner? He has Flying Pokémon... I bet you know him very well, and he owes you something, right?_" She smiled at him, admiring her friend's fame and relations.

"_Er…_ no."

She blinked. "N-No?"

"No way. Falkner's a jerk."

She laughed loudly, her foreign emotions and thoughts snapping back to its usual _happy_ and _warm_ self. The simple yet honest dislike of a great Gym Leader of respectable reputation made Ash sound immature. His refusal to work with someone who could be vital to their mission, all for a petty reason that she thought he was beyond considering. She had forgotten how childish Ash could be.

He pouted. "Hey! What's so funny?"

"_N-Nothing._ Nothing at all." She giggled the last of her laughs away. "So if we're not getting Flying Pokémon from him, who do we visit in the city to get one? We are getting Flying Pokémon, right?"

Ash tugged on her sleeve, gesturing her to guide him again. "Yeah, we're getting pokémon that can fly. But not in the city."

"_Wait…_ then why did you tell Tracey to get everyone to meet in Violet City?"

"Because we're going to a place near here."

"And where's that?"

Ash smiled. "Charicific Valley."


	20. Chapter 20 Alternatives

The two fell face-flat onto the dirt.

"H-How far is this thing?" May whined as she refused to move.

"_I could've sworn it was closer…"_ Ash grumbled, trying to drag himself forward.

"_**Liiiiiizaaa!"**_ he shouted into the open air.

No response.

"…you sure that pokétab isn't giving us the wrong directions?"

"I wouldn't know! I've never been there!" She slipped out the device and slapped it down on the ground in front of her. She lazily pressed random buttons on the screen in the hopes it would magically give them new information. "And who is this _Liza _you keep calling? I don't think we'll see anyone for miles…"

"_Liza's the one who I called to get my charizard to help us, remember? She watches over Charicific Valley…"_ Ash moaned as he fell back onto his chest. _"…there's no natural road into it. Someone needs to take a Flying Pokémon to get in there. And Liza decides who gets in and out."_

"**What?** Why didn't you mention that earlier?"

"Why? Would it change any plans if I did?"

"We could've called ahead of time!"

"I already did. I called her from Bill's while we were leaving."

"And…?"

"_Line's disconnected…"_

She groaned in response. _"I give up…"_

Espeon hopped onto the pokétab and pawed at its flashing and rotating images.

May rolled onto her back. "_Yeah…_ you make it work, Espy… _I don't know how to work that thing…_"

Ash rolled beside her. "And yet they trusted you with it?"

"Hey, it's not like Angie or Maylene would know how to work that device better than me!" She paused, taking a large gulp of water from her bottle before continuing. "_Ahhh – that's good…_ and Sabrina said that if she held it, it'd probably explode or something…"

Ash fumbled his hand across May's body, trying to find the water bottle. She shoved the drink into his hand before he could touch anything embarrassing. "_Geez_, just ask next time."

He tilted the bottle back, swallowing as much of the sweet water his body would allow him to.

"Don't drink it all!" She snatched the drink back.

Ash lazily tried to get the bottle back, to no avail.

…

The two sighed in unison, both exhausted.

May looked up into the sky, watching the clouds pass by.

"We should probably set up camp… It's getting dark."

Her eyes were tired and her mind was strained. She didn't want to sleep, but her body protested at her being awake. And to make it worse, her internal clock was completely off.

Their constant sleeping during mornings and moving at night… The nervous energy that had kept her awake during their travels in the Rocket Tunnel… And now her fatigue from their uphill hike… All of them factored in confusing and irritating her body and mind to the point of conflict.

But now was the time for rest – as navigating up cliff roads, that tended to get narrow at the most unexpected times, did not seem smart to continue during nightfall.

"Did you bring any tents?" Ash asked as he struggled to sit up. His body sore from the constant walking.

"You didn't?"

The two sighed. "**I didn't think we'd need them.**" they admitted in unison.

"We should've rested at the Pokémon Center in the city…" May pulled out her poké balls and allowed each of her pokémon out. Each one looked groggy or exhausted; some still showing signs of pain.

"_Yeah…_ I didn't think the Valley would be so far away." Ash picked up Espeon and started petting her.

The Coordinator applied medicine to any wounds and gave treats to each of her pokémon, hoping that it would sooth their tensed bodies. "So what are we going to do for sleep? And do we build a fire?"

She looked over the cliff path. "I don't think there's any firewood for miles…"

"We camp it out the old fashioned way." The male Trainer walked over to Venusaur, stretched, then fell back – landing his back against its side. He grabbed Espeon and placed her on his lap.

The other pokémon followed suit. Blaziken sat next to Ash. Wartortle sat on-top of Venusaur. Snorlax rolled onto its side to Blaziken's left. Delcatty rolled up onto Snorlax's stomach. And May's beautifly landed softly next to Wartortle.

May watched the scene with playful interest. "_Hmmm…_ Now where do I sleep?"

She was about to find a space between her snorlax's legs, when Glaceon curled up against her legs – causing her to lose balance and stumble. She fell next to Ash, shoulder to shoulder. Despite its obvious closeness, it was more than a comfortable position.

Her face blushed.

Glaceon gave her a lighthearted smile.

May shot her back a look. "_You meant to do that._" she mumbled towards her.

The Fresh Snow Pokémon pretended to not hear her trainer's response as it snuggled into her lap.

May pet her faithful pokémon's head and hummed a soft tune to put her to sleep.

…

"_Hey May…?"_

Her humming stopped.

"Yeah, Ash?"

"_Why'd you go ahead?"_

"Into the tunnel?"

"Yeah, the tunnel."

"So I could scout ahead. To help."

"Yeah, I figured that. But… _why?_"

…

She went silent, trying to figure out what to say next. She wasn't sure what he meant by that question, or what answer he was specifically looking for.

"Can I look?"

She turned towards him and blinked. "What? Look at what?"

"_Um…_" He felt uncomfortable. In truth, he wanted a simple yes or no answer. No thoughts, just a casual reaction to his question. Now that she was giving him her full attention, he realized that the explanation would be far more intrusive than he'd intend it to be. "_N-Nevermind._"

"No, tell me!" She nudged him with her shoulder. "Now you've got me all curious."

**Sigh.** "I meant it like… looking into you. Empathy and stuff."

Her face blushed again. The simple request seeming far more personal than she expected it to be.

"_W-Why?"_

"Well… you don't know exactly what I'm asking… and I don't really know how to describe it… so I thought _I could just, well, find out the answer…_" He coughed to seem nonchalant. "_If that's okay with you, that is._"

Throughout their journey, Ash had been slowly improving his Empathic abilities. By poking into people's emotions and backing away, as well as attempting to block them off, Ash had learned how to control how much he could feel at once from a person or a group of people. Emotions were no longer as obvious or as loud for him now… Like Anabel had told him in the beginning, he couldn't turn it off, but he had gotten far more used to it.

He still didn't consider himself as skilled as Anabel, as he still struggled with extremely loud personalities like Maylene's, or with large floods of strong emotions like the battle at the Bill's Lighthouse. But he had certainly gotten better.

Ash's fingers ran through Espeon's fur, her Psychic energy hidden inside reminding him of why he had truly improved: Practicing with Sabrina.

While Sabrina herself wasn't an Empathic, she knew how to hone nonphysical abilities and heighten focus to a great extent. Their hours of constant training and exercise had not only increased his Empathy's effectiveness, but also had created a bond between him and Sabrina.

This bond allowed the two to empower their own abilities. For Ash, it had given him the ability to use the psychic powers of Psychic Pokémon in a much more devastating manner, as well as giving him more clarity and control in reading other's emotions.

And now, here with May, he had another chance to test himself – another situation for him to truly sharpen and empower his Empathic abilities.

_No, not that._ He told himself. _I'm genuinely worried for May! This isn't just another test!_

The bond with Sabrina also had the unintentional consequence of reflecting one another's personalities. While the objective-focused, self-improving, and strategically-careful traits of Sabrina were useful, they had also made Ash forget the spirit and heart of what he was aiming for at times.

He could suppress the side-effects, and often times he felt like they hadn't affected him whatsoever. And in that, he was improving, which boosted his confidence greatly.

Though, he wondered if he really was winning against the side-effects… or if they were becoming less and less obvious.

"S-Sure." May's answer snapped him out of his layered thoughts.

The Coordinator played with Glaceon's tail nervously, her face bright red at the thought of letting _'Ash in'_. "W-What do you need me to do?"

Nothing. She didn't need to do anything.

"_Sure"_ was Ash's go-sign. The instant she had said it, he had already dived into the heart of her intentions.

Her emotions flew passed, each one explaining a portion of the story she didn't want to speak out loud.

_Am Useless. Am Weak. Am Burden. _Her insecurities showed loudly, showing the obstacles she saw in front of her.

Digging deeper he found what he had been looking for…

_Need Stronger. Need Better. Need Useful. Need for Ash._ And there were her _'why'_s. Her reasons. Her goal to face her insecurities.

With an exhale, Ash retreated from her emotions and returned reality's far more restricted grip.

Her emotions had made his face blush a deep red. He was unsure how to respond, unsure of how to feel or think. The Coordinator's yearning to become better for him flattered him greatly. It would have been an idea that he didn't understand, if it weren't for the fact that he felt similarly for her.

May was a friend. A close friend. A very close friend.

She was a part of his past that meant greatly to him. And in their time together, he grew to realize everything that made her great and wonderful. But she was just a friend then. As long as they had a great time together, he was happy. As long as they were friends, then that's all that mattered.

Then that… _moment_… they had together occurred.

And though she didn't want it to change anything, it would change everything. He couldn't just see her as the friend he travelled with so long. Though he'd admit he could never see her that way after he found that she actually dated someone – that… _moment_… sealed his old views of May permanently.

She was still his friend. Still his close friend. But now she was someone who depended on him, on his answers, and his emotions. He had to answer to her someday. An answer that he was afraid to choose, fearing what it would mean to everyone else, what it would mean to her. He didn't want to have to choose…_ he didn't want to have to lose one of them…_

'_Let them fight over you… It'll make them know what they really want in their relationship. Eventually they'll have to give up sometime… or at least admit defeat. And in the end, they'll still be your friends, and they'll know what to really look for in a guy…'_

The tomboy's words echoed in his head. _Angie…_

If he could trust anyone's counsel, it was his summer friend's. Her innate understanding of his mind, heart, and spirit even without any special abilities made her words often the truest. She wasn't biased towards any sides of herself, only by what she saw and was told – a person who could judge a book by its cover and be successful at finding its contents.

A person who understood this situation better than he did.

Ash returned his attention to the concern at hand… May's insecurities and need to prove herself.

"May, you don't need to prove yourself… _to me._" the two last words were spoken with hesitation.

"I know." She nodded and returned her attention to petting her glaceon. "At least, I know that now. But… I'd like to at least be stronger. To be better."

"If it weren't for your help, we wouldn't have gotten as far as we have." Ash responded as he straightened his back, trying to prevent himself from completely slipping off of Venusaur's abnormally smooth skin. _May must put lotion on her skin or something…_

She nodded again. "And I know that. But that's not where I want to improve."

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Ash, you're the main reason we're on this crazy quest… this isn't about being the best Trainer or Coordinator anymore. Not about badges, trophies, or ribbons. We can't just sit around and just have fun all the time like we used to. And we can't… make mistakes like we used to."

She paused, wondering how to continue her thoughts.

_Acceptance._ "…Angie? She keeps her head focused on what matters. Even if she doesn't think about it, she'll get the job done. And she's your emotional support… at least, from what I've seen. You always seem to go to her when you want to talk in private."

Glaceon sat up and moved onto Venusaur's back – removing her owner's only distraction.

May turned and faced Ash. _Admiration._ "And Maylene? She can fight just as good as her pokémon. Even without her pokémon, she's a strong bodyguard. And her… _thing_ that she does. That thing that makes her immune to Empathy and Psychic people? With that, she's invaluable to this team."

She looked down. _Shame. _"And of course there's Sabrina… If all of us left your side, she could probably handle this entire mission by herself. We're nothing but jokes compared to her."

"May…"

_Self-doubt._ "And me? …I'm just back-up. I'm there just so that the job isn't so hard. Which is nice, but I'm not really necessary."

"That's not true."

She fanned the pokétab in front of Ash's face. _Self-hate._ "**This** is the only thing that makes me useful right now! And what good am I with it? You give any other girl enough time with it, and they'd be just as useful with it. You give any girl enough time, and they could easily replace me in this team."

Ash was about to interrupt again. May put her finger up to his lip.

"I'm a Coordinator, Ash… not a **Trainer**. I'm not a **Psychic**, I'm not a **fighter**, and I don't have confidence. I don't want to build up confidence, I want a reason to be confident. But honestly? I don't have **anything**. I train my pokémon how to make their attacks prettier, but not more effective.

"I mean, even Dawn is better at that than I am! You've seen her, I've seen her, everyone's seen her! She gets so creative with her pokémon's moves it's unbelievable. I'm just a standard, Ash. I'm only a challenge to other Coordinators because I've had more time and practice than them. But I don't have the same spirit and creativity as they do. I'm a high standard, Ash, but standard nonetheless…"

_Depression._ "What good am I for this?"

"May…"

"Please Ash… no more cheer-me-ups. No more excuses for me. I don't want any. It's time to face facts… I–"

"_Close your eyes._"

"What?"

"Close your eyes." he repeated.

…

Her eyes closed. "_O-Okay_, they're closed… _Now what?_"

She felt something warm on her forehead. Ash's palm.

"Now? We hope I learned this right…"

* * *

><p>Sunrise.<p>

Bird Pokémon of all kinds hung on branches of trees, watching the line of strange visitors pass by.

"**THIS IS AMAZING!**"

The shout caused several of the birds to fly from the safety of the trees. They cawed and tweeted as they fled to find a better, far more quiet area to rest.

May had been the one to shout. She faced up towards the trees, her eyes covered by her bandana as she smiled with pure glee.

"_Woww…_ I can't believe it…" She laughed in excitement and jumped in place.

In her blindness, she saw the colors, she felt the heat. _Colors_ of all kinds that she had never seen before, _temperatures_ of all warmths she had never felt before._ No, that's not it._ she thought to herself.

She had seen these colors, felt these heats, but never in this way – never in this manner, and never in this light.

_Empathy._

Her Empathy had woken up.

The opposite could be said for Ash, who was dead asleep ontop of Venusaur's back.

Ash hadn't slept. May hadn't slept. The two had spent all their night in unphysical work.

Using a technique that he had developed with Sabrina, the Empathic was able to unlock the latent talent within the Coordinator… Treating Espeon as his Psychic extension, he dove deep into May's mind. Using Aura, he found the walls that blocked her from the abilities. And using Empathy, he was able to open the gates.

The task was hardly simple, and extremely uncomfortable. The two would grunt in pain and sweat profusely through the night. Mental and emotional challenges often prevented them from continuing, and only working through them slowly and carefully would allow them to pass. Their history together as friends, as student and teacher, and as rivals had given them the tools needed to succeed – as it was these connections that allowed them to destroy the insecurities that slowed her progress towards Empathy.

Ash knew this was another technique that Sabrina would lecture him endlessly if she found out he used it. It wasn't ready. It wasn't safe. And it wasn't meant to be used while he was still so inexperienced.

_But it was now or never_, he had thought to himself at the time. _If May kept on like that… always hurting herself… she might close herself off completely, instead of improving._

He thanked Sabrina's training, as it was only his bond with her that allowed him to come to that conclusion.

Now, however, he had little to no thought. Absolutely exhausted from the ritual, he had fainted and had not awoken since. Espeon shared the same tiredness, as she slept soundly on his stomach.

May was the opposite. Her granted access to Empathy had awoken her body completely.

For her, it was like a dream. She could see things that she didn't think was possible, experience things she didn't think could exist, and feel things she never thought could ever be. She didn't want to wake from this dream.

And so she kept her eyes closed, her bandana acting as her blindfold.

When she could see, she couldn't sense as much. For now, she didn't ever want to stop. Empathy felt far too natural for her – as if she was _always_ meant to be an Empathic.

This, of course, was dangerous. As she'd often trip over or nearly fall off the cliff-side while following emotions in the sky. Her pokémon had to keep a close eye on her.

She took a deep breath in…

"**DREW! YOU JERK!**"

She struck her fist in the air and laughed. For once in her life since that horrible day, she could mention his name without feeling any hate for herself.

She felt… _confident._

"**DREW! JUST YOU WATCH! I'LL KICK YOUR BUTT ONCE I GET BACK THERE!**"

Glaceon and Blaziken grunted together. The two despised the man that had broken their trainer's heart and mind. And they were more than willing to help her getting her justified revenge.

They looked at each other and looked back at Ash. _A better mate for her_, they agreed to one another.

"_GUYS! I CAN HEAR THAT!"_ May's face was a bright red. _'Mate'_ was far too _strong _of a word.

"_And I can hear you from a mile away._"

The Coordinator froze. She suddenly noticed a large group of powerful energies above her.

_H-How could I miss something so huge?_

"Wh-Who's there?" May struggled with her bandana, trying to remove it out of its impossible knot.

"I should be asking you that. No one's allowed in these canyons."

"My name's M–" She successfully pulled away the bandana and looked up at their threat. "Liza?"

Above them, a team of frighteningly large charizards kept themselves aloft while staring down at them in battle-readiness. A woman of deep sea green hair, blue eyes, and a strikingly red suit stood on one of their backs. Her frown was accented by a scar that ran down from her cheek to her chin.

"Funny, I have the same name." she spoke with little humor.

"N-no. I'm May! Are you Liza? **Wait**, you just answered that." May laughed nervously.

"_Choose your next words carefully…_" The charizards around her growled furiously. She gave the Coordinator a death glare. "_…those looking for me lately have met quite an… __**unfortunate end**_."

May's blood turned cold. "_Er…_ **n-no!** It's not like that!"

She ran up to her Venusaur and started shaking the sleeping passenger.

"Ash! **Wake up!** We found Liza!"

He snored louder.

"…Ash?" Liza's eyes widened. She jumped to the ground below, the charizards following closely behind.

Walking up to the slumbering young man, she smiled. "_It's good to see him again…_"

The woman faced May. "I apologize for my reaction earlier. We haven't had much good company lately." As she bowed, so did the charizards. "It's a pleasure to meet you May. Any friend of Ash's is a friend of Charicific Valley."

May panicked at the sudden mannerisms and bowed quickly in response. "N-Nice to meet you!" She gestured for her pokémon to bow as well.

"You're welcome to follow us into the Valley. I am sure we have much to discuss if Ash had come to seek us out." Liza hopped onto one of the charizards' backs.

"W-Wait… _I don't have any Flying Pokémon…_"

"That's fine. Just call in your pokémon and ride on any of these charizards."

* * *

><p>All around her, charizards stood or sat in lines. Above, they flew in patrols. In one corner, some slept in shifts. And in another corner, they trained their attacks in military precision.<p>

May got off the back of the charizard she had ridden and gazed at her surroundings.

"So this is the Charicific Valley? I thought these charizard were wild… they look more than just trained to me. They're so intense… and **huge**!"

Liza gestured signals to the ones she had flown with, giving them silent orders.

She turned towards the Coordinator and frowned. "They _are _wild… and they _weren't _like this before."

Her finger traced along the scar on her face. "Well, they were always large, but they were never this trained… _but I had to._ We were too disorganized. No matter how powerful they were on their own, as long as they were disorganized – we didn't stand a chance."

"What do you mean?" May leaned the still-slumbering Ash against one wall and let him slide down to a sit. "Did something happen?"

"Team Rocket happened." She grit her teeth. "_They just…_ came like a swarm. Capturing the charizards… and killing the ones who put up too much of a struggle."

May gasped. "_Oh no… I'm so sorry…_"

"I don't know why they came here. They normally keep a safe distance away from the Valley. It would normally be a big risk for them to try anything here." The Valley Guardian balled her hand into a fist. "But this time… _there were so many…_ and they were so powerful. We put up a good fight, but it wasn't enough. …_it wasn't enough_…"

…

"Are they gone?" May asked in hesitation.

"Maybe. Maybe not. We got them into a retreat eventually… but I have no idea where they went." Liza sighed. "They jammed my signals. I don't know what's going on beyond the areas that are immediately outside of the Valley's view. And I don't want to risk going out too far in case it's a trap."

The Coordinator rummaged through her bag and pulled out the pokétab. "You can use this!"

The woman stared at it in curiosity. "What is it?"

"It's a pokétab! You can use it to call someone if you need to."

"**It has a signal?"** She snatched it from May's hands. "How in the world does it still have signal? Charicific Valley's lines have been blacked out for _days _now!" She checked her pokédev just to be sure.

"The poketab's special. Boosted range… or its own private signal. _I'm not sure which._ It's all pretty fancy stuff to me." The girl laughed embarrassingly.

"**Clair?** Clair is that really you?" Liza didn't hesitate to make her call.

"_Liza!"_ a voice responded in a hiss of static. _"What happened? I tried calling you yesterday! It said your line was disconnected! I was going to check up on you, but I've been busy lately."_

"Is something wrong?"

"_No no, nothing terrible. Just appointments. I should be asking you that! You look terrible! And where did you get that scar?"_

"Team Rocket attacked the Charicific Valley."

"_**THEY WHAT?**__ Are you okay? How are the charizards?"_

"I'm okay. They captured four of the charizards… and killed five."

…

"_I'll make them pay. Tell me where they went and I'll see to it that you are all avenged."_

"I don't know they are, Clair… they've got the entire place in blackout. I can't hazard searching for them as long as I don't have any signal. I was only able to call you because of this girl's strange device." She turned the pokétab towards May.

"_Ah, the famous Coordinator."_ The light blue-haired woman in the poketab's screen bowed. _"I've seen your Contest matches. You are quite impressive."_

"Th-Thank you." May blushed and bowed back.

Liza turned the device back towards herself. "She's a friend of Ash Ketchum."

"_I had assumed so."_ Clair responded. _"I've seen her with him during several Contest broadcastings."_

Liza sighed into a smile. "_You don't know how much of a relief it is to hear your voice, Clair._ I had thought Team Rocket had already come after you."

"_Hm? Is there a reason you would think that?"_

"Not really… but I don't really know why they came here in the first place. They don't normally risk such an attack. I just assumed they would come after you, but only because I'm a bit paranoid right now."

"_Don't worry, that's understandable. Have you asked May?"_

"The girl? Ask her what?"

"_Ask her what Team Rocket's doing there. What else would the girl be doing all the way out in Charicific Valley? She's supposed to be back at Hoenn, the Contests are already underway – and she was supposed to be one of the main contenders."_

Liza looked up at the Coordinator.

May grinned nervously.

"I'll call you back, Clair."

She pressed a button to end the call and handed the device back to May.

"So, May. What _are_ you and Ash doing all the way out here? From what I remember, he was competing in Sinnoh."

"_Well…"_

"Team Rocket's after us, too." Ash was awake and standing behind May.

She leapt out of the way in fright.

Catching her breath she gave a slight kick at his leg. "Don't sneak up on me like that!_ Geez!_ …When did you wake up anyways?"

He shrugged. "Few minutes ago?"

"Nice to see you again, Ash." Liza smiled and nodded towards him. "I'm glad you're… what's wrong with your eyes?"

"Ash is blind." May put it bluntly.

"**What?** When did this happen?" She ran up to Ash and inspected his eyes as if she could fix it.

"A while back. Accident. Long story." He was in no mood in explaining a story he's had to tell more times than he could count. "Anyways, we came here to get some charizards for transport. I know your charizards don't really let humans on their back, but–"

"No, they do now." Liza answered quickly. "Team Rocket attacked lately. Long story, as well. Long story short, they're far more trained now. If Team Rocket wants to try anything again, they'll regret it."

Ash's face showed panic. "**Are the charizards okay?** _**Is Charizard okay?**_"

Despite there being several charizards in the Valley, she knew exactly who he was talking about. "I've lost some charizards, but… _yes_. Your charizard is safe as well. _He's…_ not in the mood to talk, however."

She nudged her head back, pointing at a figure in one of the corners. May peaked around and saw another large charizard, its back faced towards them as it stared into the rock wall.

"Be careful if you approach him. He hasn't slept, and he's quite irritable."

"Did something happen?"

_Hurt. Pain. Sorrow._

Ash feared the worst. And his fears were true.

"_Charla…_ she was killed in the second wave… she died trying to save an egg they stole from one of the nests."

…

Ash went silent. Liza fell silent.

May quietly broke the silence. "Who's Charla?"

"_My charizard…_" Liza's voice strained as she refused herself from crying.

"And Charizard's… _partner_." Ash explained in the most respectable way he could.

**Gasp.** "_No… I'm so sorry…_" May had regretted her question and took a step back, hoping that her distance would allow them to forget she had ever asked.

"Then we can't stay in the Charicific Valley. We all need to move." Ash stated.

"We?" The Valley Guardian crossed her arms and raised a brow.

"_**All of us.**_ Including the charizards."

"I'm not abandoning this reserve. We are not abandoning this reserve. You can go, but Charicific Valley must be kept safe."

"_**Which matters more?**_ The Valley or the charizards?"

Liza took those words as a challenge. "In case you didn't hear, Team Rocket's got a signal block in this area. That means there's a good chance they're still out there waiting."

"It could also mean they're trying to keep you paranoid enough to stay here while they recuperate for the next attack."

Ash wasn't being himself. His words were far too logical, far too intelligent, and definitely far too authoritative. Sabrina's bond was overtaking his personality again.

"The Valley's a private zone." Ash continued. "Because you're not anywhere public, they can attack this place over and over again without anyone finding out. You're too far for direct support, and your only line out to the rest of the world has been cut."

"And what do you propose then?" Liza hadn't conceded. She had only asked out of curiosity. _This doesn't seem like the Ash I knew. He seems… older. It's good to know he's finally acting his age._

"_**Move to Violet City.**_"

"Not going to happen. That area's far too public. It'll make the charizards incredibly uncomfortable and panicked in those surroundings, and I don't want any of those tourists and trainers to bother them."

"Of course it's too public. _**That's why we're moving there.**_"

"You keep saying _'we'_ as if **we** agreed to it."

"_**You're going to have to.**_ If you stay out here, you'll be hunted until there's no charizards left for the Valley to protect. If you go to Violet City, you'll be under the public's watch – and Falkner's. Team Rocket won't even try to risk that obvious of an assault. With any chance of a witness getting away through sky or land, there's no way they could get away safely."

_But Ash, what about…_ May held onto his sleeve.

He knew exactly what she meant. _The assault on his home._ But the difference there was that they were a small family in a quiet town, while this was a large group of powerful pokémon within a bustling city.

May's new Empathic abilities allowed her to read that meaning from his silence. She nodded. She also wanted to squeal. Her Empathy surprising her in its usefulness. However, it wasn't an appropriate time to show excitement, so she kept silent.

Ash stepped forward, facing the Valley Guardian – his dulled eyes locking onto her fierce gaze. "_**Head to Violet City. We need your services as much as you need ours.**_"

Liza stepped forward in challenge. "And what makes you think that?"

"Because they're not after you. They're after me. And they think you're going to help me. _**So either make them happy by proving them wrong, or upset them by proving them right.**_"

* * *

><p>"<strong>Please don't touch the charizards.<strong>" Liza repeated as another passerby tried to take a picture with one.

"**They're not for sale. They're not for capturing. They're not open for battle.**" she grumbled loudly as another team of trainers readied themselves for a fight when they noticed one on a rooftop.

**Sigh.** "How much longer do we have to wait?"

"They'll be here soon."

"You said that you took the rod that lets you go through these tunnels. So how are they supposed to get here?"

"They'll find a way through."

"**Please don't touch the charizards!**" She massaged her forehead. "So Ash… if you were gathering all of us to save your mom and friends, and now they're all saved… what's your plan now?"

The young man stretched and leaned against the wall behind him. "Team Rocket's still a threat. We can't let them get away with what they plan to do."

"That's obvious enough. But how exactly do you plan we do that?" She walked over and sat next to Ash. "We're not exactly an army… and I don't think we'll be able to get any support beyond our little ragtag team. And if you're right about Team Rocket's influence, I don't think getting the authorities or any organization involved would be a good idea.

"We'd have more spies than allies at that point."

"I know." Ash searched the Valley Guardian's emotions, trying to find the _answer _she was looking for. "We won't need more than that. Team Rocket's head group is tiny in comparison to the rest of the team. And they'll be the only ones who'll be directly involved with the Arceus project.

"Small team versus small team." he concluded simply.

"Except they've got an army of henchmen and thugs to cushion the blow between them and us. By the time we face them, we'll be too exhausted to fight back."

"Then we have to play it smart."

"Smart's not really my thing." she admitted.

"It's not mine either." he admitted with her.

They laughed together, relieving the tension.

"Don't sell yourself short, Ash. You certainly kept your head on straight back at the Valley. I hated to admit it at the time, but you were right."

He scratched the back of his head and smiled with embarrassment. "Well, that wasn't all me. I learned a thing or two about logic from Sabrina."

"Maybe she could teach me t– **DO NOT TOUCH THE CHARIZARDS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.**" **Sigh.** "I swear, these people…"

**Flapping of wings. Large wings.**

A gust of wind twirled around their feet. Several dirt and debris flew into different directions, nearly blinding the area in a swirl of activity. The blast of air was strong, nearly knocking Ash off his feet, and causing the nearby charizards to flinch.

The large object landed. A massive pidgeot.

Someone was on its back. _Cool, confident, and curious._

"Well now, it has been a while, _Ash Ketchum…_"

"Falkner." he nodded at the Violet City Gym Leader, keeping his own cool despite having a bad taste in his mouth.

"And Liza too. Now this is indeed an interesting meeting."

"**Beat it, Falkner.**"

That wasn't a response Ash was expecting to hear. He thought he had been the only one that disliked the Flying Pokémon Master. Or rather, he thought his immaturity had made him dislike him. _But if Liza doesn't like him either, maybe I'm not being childish._ he considered with a smile.

"_So rude_, Liza!" Falkner jumped down from his pidgeot and sighed. "You come to my city as a guest…"

"It's not your city." she shot back.

"…you cause a ruckus by inviting your charizards to perch on my buildings…"

"They're not your buildings, and we won't be here for long."

"…and then you endanger my city's citizens by bringing Team Rocket to my doorstep!"

Liza stood straight. "**What?**"

"It seems that you thought you could avoid whatever business you had with them by using my city as your time-out shelter." Falkner frowned. "I don't appreciate that, Liza. Many of Team Rocket's clients are happy residents in my city. I don't want your problems thrown on us just because you're too selfish to solve it yourself."

"**You–!**"

"Get out of my city **now**."

Ash walked forward and gazed into Falkner's emotions. _Proud. Insincere. Bluffing._

"You're lying. Team Rocket doesn't know about this."

Falkner's eyes narrowed. "And how would you know what Team Rocket knows and doesn't know, Ash?"

_Nervousness. Hiding something._

Ash peered deeper into Falkner. _…Team Rocket… tower…_

"**Urk!**" Falkner found his feet scraping against the ground. Ash had dashed towards him and lifted him by the neckbands. "What do you think you're doing?"

"_**You made a deal with Team Rocket!"**_

Liza's frown twitched, her scar burning. "_What kind of deal?_"

"I don't know what he's talki–"

Ash interrupted. "Falkner allowed Team Rocket to build a tower here! The tower's been the one blocking out the signals in Charicific Valley!"

_Panic. Fear._

"H-How did you–?"

**Crk-Crk.** Liza cracked her knuckles and slowly walked towards Falkner.

His pidgeoto came to his rescue as it stood in front of the furious woman.

With a snap of her fingers, every Charicific Charizard surrounded and glared at the now-seemingly-small bird pokémon. It cowered in response and moved away.

"Now Falkner…" **Crk-Crk.** "Tell me… why in _the world_ would you allow Team Rocket do such a thing?" her voice was _cold_, and her emotions dangerously _sharp_.

"You really want to harm me in a city filled with Team Rocket? If you know what's good for you, you'll let me go."

_Bluffing again._

"Give it up, Falkner. I know Team Rocket isn't here. You're trying to scare us out of the city before they do find out we're here." Ash threw him to the ground and glared down at him. "You sold out Liza so you could protect yourself!"

"You dirty little–" Liza had launched herself onto Falkner. Her fist raised in the air… and it stayed. Her body trembled. Tears formed on the corners of her eyes. "_You…_ **CHARLA DIED BECAUSE OF YOU!**" she roared as she slammed her fist into the ground, missing his head by inches.

The woman pushed herself to her feet, turning away in _disgust_. "**You're** the one who should leave this city, Falkner. Otherwise I'll let Charizard do as he pleases."

Violet City's Gym Leader was shadowed by a large creature.

Atop a tall building, Ash's charizard stood. His silhouette blocking a large portion of the setting sun. His eyes burning red with _fury_.

He had been distant from the rest of the group, preferring isolation and time to be left with his thoughts. Ash had barely recognized him during his time away, his emotions_ refusing _to let him in or acknowledge him.

But now his emotions were obvious. _Uncontainable rage._

It wanted Falkner _dead, ripped apart, destroyed_. But just like Liza, he knew it _wouldn't bring Charla back_… and it wasn't Falkner that killed her, he had only been an indirect cause.

Without these thoughts, he wouldn't have stayed where he was. _Angry. Intent on revenge._ But still distant, still isolated.

He **growled** and turned away. That was his last response to the situation. He returned to his thoughts.

Falkner crawled back to his feet, patting dirt off his kimono and hands.

_No regret. No concern. No care._

"**Hmph.** I'll give you two more hours. If you're not gone by then…"

He hopped onto his pidgeot and patted its back twice. It began flapping its wings, causing another strong gust of wind to push everyone off balance.

"**I'll remove you myself.**"

The pidgeot shot into the air in frightening speeds and rocketed deep into the city.

…

"He's bluffing." Ash commented.

"He always is." Liza spit as she kicked her heel into the dirt.

**Thu-thump.**

The two turned.

Despite the sun setting, another _sun _was rising.

With a loud yawn and a grunted stretch, a young woman who had been sleeping quietly for the past few hours – began to wake after falling off the comfortable bench she had claimed as a bed.

"_Did I miss something?_" May groaned.

"Glad you could joi– **DO NOT TOUCH THE CHARIZARDS.**"


	21. Chapter 21 Communication

**KLANNNGG-KRAK!**

The false door **slammed **open, vibrating the inner-metal and breaking the outer-rock of its design.

A ball of mawiles rolled out of the open doorway and smashed into a tree.

Smoke fizzled out into the open air. And a figure stomped through the darkness.

It scanned the area and found what it had been looking for.

"**YOU JERK!**" Angie charged at Ash. "**You ditched us and took the rod with you! Do you have any id–**"

She was picked off the ground and pulled back by Maylene.

The pink-haired fighter looked over the tomboy's shoulder and glanced at Liza. "Man, Ash, what's with you and always picking up new chicks?" She laughed heartily.

Tracey wandered out of the smoke and coughed. "Well, that's certainly one way to get through security."

"I sure wish I could've gotten a shot of that." Todd casually walked out of the tunnel and immediately started taking snapshots of the forest around them.

"Keep an eye out for any ambushes." Ritchie, with his faithful pikachu Sparky on his shoulder, exited with careful suspicion. "We might not be out in the clear yet."

"_**No need.**_ There are no more threats." Sabrina walked out confidently and nodded in Ash's direction with a smile.

"_Well, if there were any more…_ me and Electabuzz could handle 'em!" Casey boasted as she marched out, with her electabuzz in tow.

Dawn shuffled out shyly. She knew who would be on the other end of the tunnel. When she saw him, she blushed and waved lightly.

Ash waved back, feeling her _timid greeting_.

…

…and that was all.

Before any of the others could give their own personal greeting to Ash, he walked passed them and into the tunnel.

He ran out seconds later. _"__**Where's Misty? Pikachu?**__"_

Each of the recently freed prisoners looked down in self-disappointment.

The sketch-artist was the one to answer, "Misty took Pikachu with her to keep looking for Anabel."

Ash grabbed him by the collar and yanked him down to his height. "I thought I told you that Anabel **wasn't there**! _**Why didn't you stop them?**_"

"_Ash, we tried…_" Ritchie defended. He tilted his cap down, hiding his eyes to respectfully show disgrace.

"…_she and Pikachu felt guilty…_" Casey looked away in shame. "_…for all the information we gave to Team Rocket. Anabel didn't give up anything… so… the two of them wanted to save her. It's the least they could do for her… and you…_"

"_**Where did they go?"**_ Ash turned and faced down the tunnel. _**"I'll find them."**_

"_I wouldn't go back there, if I were you…_" Todd placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Our cover was blown an hour back. Now the entire place is swarming with armed patrols."

"_**Even more reason why I should go back there."**_

**KRRK-DOMMM!**

The false door slammed shut, its illusionary wall of stones and boulders reappearing, albeit crookedly due to the damage it had taken. An invisible force had been the one to seal it away. The same force thrown Ash off his feet and yanked him to the ground.

A hint of _purple and blue_ aura faded off his body.

_Sabrina…_

_**Ash, calm yourself.**_

_Let go of me, Sabrina._

_**Let go of them, Ash.**_

_They're in danger!_

_**And so are we. And we must keep moving.**_

_But…_

"Ash, they'll be fine." It was Dawn.

"Misty and Pikachu have gotten really strong since you last saw them. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have ever escaped." She helped him to his feet. "If any of us would be safe on our own, it would be the two of them."

She was being_ sincere_. And while he didn't want to believe her…

_I don't really have a choice… do I?_ he thought to himself depressingly, finding himself completely outnumbered by those who would stop him at all costs.

_**You always have a choice. But so do we.**_ Sabrina responded.

She walked over and straightened his jacket. "_I am glad you are okay._" she said softly.

Though Ash still yearned to get his two oldest friends back… the closeness of Sabrina gave him a sense of _calm_. The bond they had formed would often make him feel far more stable. And that stability comforted him greatly in this time of loss.

The Psychic shared this comfort, as she seemed to relax greatly in being able to talk to him again. With her emotions open for him once again, she let him know that _Misty and Pikachu were well_. A message that helped bring a smile to his face.

Ash trusted Sabrina's experience and knowledge. If anyone knew the two would be safe, it was her. And though he knew he wouldn't be able to be with them for a while, he knew it would only be for a _while_. He looked forward to the day when that _'while'_ ended.

For now, he felt an immense relief knowing that all of his friends and his mother were no longer in Team Rocket's grip… and gladdened to be reunited with so many of them again.

"_I'm glad you're okay, too. I'm glad you're all okay."_ He grinned. _"I missed you guys."_

"Me too!" Dawn hugged him tightly, her cheeks rosy with happiness.

"Me three!" Tracey sniffled as he wrapped his arms around the two.

"_I guess me four, you jerk."_ Angie stood awkwardly by him and kicked at his foot.

"Oh what the heck, **group hug everyone!**" Ritchie exclaimed, encouraging Casey and Maylene to join in.

The Psychic shifted out of reality before she could be dragged in.

Todd stood in front of the group and readied his camera. "Say hitmonlee!"

"**HITMONLEE!"**

**Snap.**

…

"And what am I? A zubat in a cave?" May pouted.

Sabrina appeared by her side. "Good to see you again, May…"

"Hey Sabrina!" She smiled and gave a slight wave.

"_I see Ash had done something to you that he shouldn't have…_"

Her face turned red. "**Wh-What?**"

"The Empathy." the Psychic clarified, holding back an immature laugh.

"O-_Oh!_Right… **that!** Yeah!" She shook her head and grinned widely. "I'm not that good with it yet, but it's really awesome!"

"Your mind seems much clearer because of it. I am glad for that."

"Really? **Thanks!**" Her grin widened.

The smile disappeared when she noticed Sabrina's narrowed eyes.

"_**Do not allow him to try anymore forbidden techniques. Clear?**_"

"_C-Clear!_" She waved her hands in surrender.

May searched for a new topic to switch to, in order to avoid the continuing evil glare. "_O-Oh! H_-Have you met Liza?"

She hopped out of the way and gestured towards the woman in red. "Sabrina, this is Liza. Liza, Sabrina."

The Valley Guardian held out her hand. "A pleasure. I know you by reputation."

"Similar." The Psychic simply nodded towards her and moved her attention to the crowd of friends that surrounded Ash.

Liza didn't take offense to her coldness. _Working with charizards all day, it's nice to run into cooler tempers._

She followed the Psychic's example and looked back at the chatting group.

"Quite an interesting team we've got in the works here."

Sabrina nodded, having nothing to add to any friendly chatter.

…

_Phew that was a nice save._ May prided in her escape.

_**I meant it, May.**_

_Y-Yes ma'am!_

* * *

><p>"Alto Mare's our next destination."<p>

"Are you trying to meet up with your mom and Brock?"

"No, I was planning on going there even before I was told that was their destination."

Ash and company gathered around a campfire within the thick forest of Route 32. To their south, their pokémon rested within a lone Pokémon Center that sat outside Union Cave. All except for the Charicific Charizards, who stood guard in different sections of the forest.

"What's at Alto Mare?" Ritchie sat closer to the inner-circle and adjusted the backpack he was using as a seat. He had asked Tracey, who shrugged, then moved his attention to May, who also shrugged.

"_Er…_ Neither of us were there with him." May responded to his glance.

"What's wrong with me saying it?" Ash titled his head.

"Well, what I'm wondering isn't what exactly happened at Alto Mare…" Ritchie scratched his chin, figuring a way to word it correctly. "…but more of why Misty suggested for Brock and Ms. Ketchum to go there. The Team Rocket ports could have sent them anywhere. Why that island specifically?"

"Because it's the only place they never asked about." Tracey answered, wincing at the _memories _of the interrogations.

"With how…" Todd entered the conversation. "…_thorough_ they were with their questions, I'd wonder why they never mentioned Alto Mare."

"What does it matter? Why don't we just attack Team Rocket now and bash their brains in?" Casey punched a nearby tree. Her reaction partially out of the immature need to _prove herself_, and partially out of _anger_ for what she had to go through within those dark cells.

Liza looked towards Maylene. "Do we even know where their main base is?"

"No… _we don't_." The fighter didn't meet her eyes.

Since their reunion and story-telling within the campsite, Maylene had felt slightly _alienated _from the rest of the group. The necessary inclusion of her history as a Rocket girl to tell the progress made in their journeys had made several of them _uncomfortable_ or _suspicious_ towards her.

"Lower ranking Rockets never meet within the main base." she continued. "They just got orders from indirect sources."

_**Jiiigullyyy~ Puff~ Jiguulllyyy~yyy Puuufff~ **_

Ash and Tracey instinctively covered their ears.

"Cover your ears! It's jigglypuff!" Ash dove down, as if being closer to the ground would buffer the sound.

…

Ash sensed the _bewildered _emotions of the group.

May laughed nervously and pulled the pokétab out of her bag. "Oh sorry, that's just the ringtone I chose… _I thought it was cute._"

"Choose a different one!" Ash grumbled loudly as he stood from his embarrassing position.

The group laughed together. _Released tension._

_**Chime~ **_

"_Greetings, May!"_

"Oh hey Bill!" She turned the device's screen towards the others. "Guys! It's Bill!"

Each of them gave their own form of hello.

"_It seems you've got quite a formidable group forming."_

The Coordinator placed the pokétab on a log, allowing the others to gather and hover around it.

"_I'm glad."_ The Pokémon Researcher adjusted the screen from his side. _"The more we have on our side, the better."_

Ash squeezed between Maylene and Todd. "Bill. How are you and Dana doing?"

The blond-haired woman appeared beside the Researcher. _"We are doing fine. Thank you for asking." _She smiled and left the screen, going back to her business.

"_We successfully moved to another research facility. Far more private and secluded."_ Bill explained.

"The lighthouse wasn't?" Ash joked.

"_Well, indeed, the lighthouse was also isolated… but this one has no Rocket Tunnels! Definitely an improvement."_

"Nice. Where is it?"

"_Now now, Mr. Ketchum. If I told you, it wouldn't be so private, now would it?"_

Dana's voice could be heard from the background, _"Don't tell them where it is! This place is still a mess!"_

The crowded friends shared a few giggles.

"_**What news do you have for us?**_" Sabrina inquired loudly, standing several feet away from the pokétab.

"_Ah yes. Now that we've relocated successfully, you can now contact us at anytime you wish. We can provide any and all information you may or may not need."_

"Would you have any info on where the Team Rocket headquarters is located?" Liza asked as she tried to find a comfortable spot to look over the pokétab.

"_Ah… well… maybe not __**all**__ the information you may need."_ Bill scratched his nose. _"I can definitely do some research for that, but I can't guarantee getting you the location anytime soon."_

"How about recent Team Rocket activities in Alto Mare?" Ritchie asked this time.

"_Hm… from what I know…"_ Bill began pressing unseen icons on the screen. _"From my recent notes, there haven't been any obvious activities there. White collar crimes at best."_

"Then we should be safe. Thank you, Professor Bill." Ritchie gave a thumbs-up.

"_Please, just call me Bill. Is there anything else?"_

Ash reached into his pocket and felt around. The meteorite piece rolled in his fingertips.

"The location of Pokémon Ranger Solana."

"_Hm…"_ The Researcher scrolled through a window invisible to them. _"Reports dating back two days show that she was still active in the Hoenn region. Last seen… entering the Forbidden Forest."_

_The Forbidden Forest._ The two Empathics shared the same worry.

"Any reason why she'd head in there?" Ash questioned.

"_A young couple had accidentally wandered in there through a broken wall. It seems the Ranger went in there to rescue them."_

_Kinda' like us._ May felt towards Ash with a blush.

_Eheh… yeah._ Ash shared the blush. _Except they probably didn't befriend any of the pokémon in there._

_Solana will save them. They'll be fine._

"_Hm… now this is disturbing."_

"**What is it?"** Ash and May asked in unison, their attention returned back to Bill.

Bill leaned out of screen and returned with a collection of printed documents. _"It seems there's been a mysterious group of men and women in dark uniforms spotted in a nearby town."_ He shuffled through the pages. _"And their daily movements seem to reflect that of the Pokémon Ranger's. They might be trailing her."_

"It's Team Rocket." Ash growled.

"_That is highly possible…_ _Is there anything else you need?"_

"That's all for now, Bill." May responded, feeling Ash's _need_ to leave soon. "We'll cal–"

"**Wait wait wait!** Mr. Bill!" Casey crawled between the Coordinator's legs and popped up in front of her.

"_Just Bill."_

"Do you have any more of these things?" She picked up the pokétab and shook it. "These things are so awesome!"

"_I'm afraid that's my only other working copy other than the one I'm using."_ Bill laughed. _"But once I get someone to mass-produce them, I'll be sure to give each of you your own copy."_

The baseball fanatic hugged the screen and squealed. "Be sure to give me one with stripes!"

"_I'll try to remember that."_ He snickered.

May pulled the device away from Casey's hands. "So we'll be seeing you, Bill."

"_Very well. It was a pleasure speaking with all of you."_ He reached to one corner of the screen. _"Farewell. And… good luck."_

The screen went blank… and slowly faded back to a May's background.

With a clumsy fumble, the Coordinator hid the device behind her back and laughed awkwardly. "_W-Well now, you weren't supposed to see that._" She whistled nonchalantly and hid behind a tree.

"Was that a picture of Ash sleeping?" Maylene followed. "It's so cute! Show it!"

"Where's everyone getting these photos of Ash?" Angie shoved Casey aside and trailed them.

Dawn shyly tagged along with her purse. _"I-I have some."_

Todd waved his camera and grabbed a binder. "Are we comparing photographs? I've got tons!"

The mood had _changed_, and everyone went on with their casual and excited conversations…

Except for Ash and Sabrina.

_**I assume we have a change of plans.**_

The male Empathic sighed. _Yes…_

_**Then I must apologize, for I have news that I have withheld until I could speak to you in private.**_

He shrugged. _At least we can think up new plans now, instead of making up for it later._

_**My thoughts exactly.**_

_So what did you find out?_

_**The last known location of Anabel… **_

* * *

><p>In an area of pitch-black trees and frosting winds, a blind Empathic and a silent Psychic sat in complete stillness. The two had separated themselves from the fireplace, finding an area where only the nocturnal could see – an area selected for its distance and privacy from the rest of their team.<p>

Chosen to guard over them, a pokémon of impossible intelligence sat amongst the branches.

Taking advantage of its talent for trickery, it misguiding all those that would near the area – sending the intruders back to where they came by removing their most recent memories and recollections. No victim would remember why they had travelled to these parts of the woods in the first place.

It did, however, find irritation in a certain tomboy who persisted on returning to the spot no matter how many times he would send her back. Yet it had to endure its duty.

Silence and seclusion were of the utmost importance, as the two preferred to hold their meeting in secret due to the difficult decisions made and the sensitive information shared.

Within this personal darkness, Ash and Sabrina sat in quiet. A psychic link being the only voice they had.

_Why didn't you tell me about Anabel earlier?_

_**Why did you not mention May's Empathic ability? Why did you deem using a technique I forbade you to use, more than one technique – might I add, unimportant to my knowledge?**_

"That's different."

_**How so?**_

_Anabel's life is in danger!_

_**And your life is as well! Those techniques could have killed you, Ash! Yet you use them with little care or remorse!**_

"But they didn't kill me. I used them when I thought I needed to, and not one second before. And I'm still not dead."_ So I don't know what the big deal is._

_**Then you'll be happy to know that Anabel is also safe. So I do not understand your panic either.**_

Ash stood."She is?"_ Where is she? Did she escape?_

_**Calm yourself.**_ Sabrina waited for him to sit before continuing. _**She is still in the hands of Team Rocket… they want her alive.**_

_What are they doing to her? _"Where is she?"

…

The Psychic's mind went _quiet_. Her heart in _hesitation_. This was unlike her, Ash noticed and she admitted to herself.

Just as their formed bond had affected Ash to become cold and heartlessly logical at times, Sabrina had become at times irrational and too caring. It was a side-effect that she dreaded, as many depended on her intellectual guidance… which required her to be distant and disconnected.

_Tell me, please._ he pushed.

**Sigh.** … _**When they couldn't have you, Ash. They took her.**_

"…what do you mean…?"

_**Their original plan was to locate you, capture you, and use you. For what, we are not yet fully certain. But we assume it has something to do with Empathy. Though I would assume they wanted more than just Empathy… but they settled with her.**_

"Why do you keep saying _'we'_?" _Who's 'we'?_

_**Misty was the one who gave me this information.**_

_What? She knew where Anabel was?_ "…I thought they said they were only searching for her! I didn't know they actually knew!"

Ash continued to switch between voice and thought, each to express two differing opinions and conversations. A social technique he had gained from Sabrina herself – '_the mind acts as the sword, while one's words acts as the shield'_.

He practiced it rarely, treating it closer to a habit than an actual lesson to keep. However, at this moment, it only felt natural to speak to the Psychic in this way, as it conveyed exactly what he wanted her to understand from his perspective.

_**Quiet. Others may still overhear us.**_

Though she was well aware of his intentions, Sabrina decided to prevent him from continuing, for the sake of privacy more than anything else. In her eyes, if the meeting were public it would have caused the other members to see a negative dichotomy between her and Ash – which would only cause them to choose sides.

The Psychic knew there was no real conflict between her and the Empathic, only a strained form of communication caused by their cultural and age differences. It was a gap they had seen bridged with their bond, and she only sought to bridge things between them in every other manner and matter – as to increase their effectiveness as the unofficial heads of the group.

Understanding her need for his silence, Ash exhaled slowly.

_So they knew all along?_

_**No, only Misty. The search for Anabel was fruitless, but it did give her the information for where they moved her and for what purpose.**_

_Why didn't she tell the others?_

_**She had planned to… until we met. Misty had not expected that our groups would ever run into each other until the end. **_

Sabrina paused, choosing her next words carefully as to not offend or hurt the Empathic. Their bond was her main translator, as she had to be _sensitive_ to how he saw the world in order to communicate everything she had meant without him ignoring what mattered in her words.

_**The plan you had given Tracey for the meet up in Violet City had excited everyone. If she had given them the information about Anabel, it would have depressed the rest of the group – as they would have had to cancel the meeting with you in order to rescue her.**_

_So she went by herself…_

_**And Pikachu as well, as he had been there when she originally found the intelligence.**_

…

Ash adjusted his posture, feeling the bark of the fallen tree he was sitting on. He felt the cold night air sting his skin, and listened to the soft **hoots** and **caws** echo throughout the woods. His physical senses meant to take his attention away from his emotions and thoughts.

He felt _alone. Unsure._ And _confused._

No matter what he did, he always felt like he was _one step behind._ No matter what he accomplished, he felt like he was always _wasting time._

Team Rocket had snuck up on his life because he refused to listen to the warnings. Team Rocket had already infiltrated Saffron City by the time he got there. May had been attacked twice during her travel to him. Bill's lighthouse was already surrounded before his arrival. More of his friends were captured and tortured because of his illusiveness. They escaped on their own without his help. Misty already knew where Anabel was. And he still had no idea what Team Rocket wanted from him.

…or where he fit in any of this.

_What am I supposed to do…_

Sabrina walked over and sat next to him. Wrapping her arm around his shoulder and warming his arm with a gentle massage.

"You're doing fine…" Sabrina's voice returned to its far more youthful tone. _Light, soft, warm,_ and _absolutely attentive_. "You're facing an entire organization. An organization that has existed longer than you. And you're still giving them trouble. Being one step behind isn't a bad thing, when this group's always been known to be a hundred steps ahead of everyone else. You shouldn't be worried at all, Ash. They're worried about themselves – because of _you_."

Ash leaned his head against her shoulder and relaxed. "_Thanks, Sabrina…_"

The Psychic's words were_ comforting_, _caring_, and_ kind_. It was her way of speaking to him, when no one else was around. She guided him, protected him, and watched over him. Ash wasn't sure if it was because of their bond, their time shared with one another, or simply who she was when she wasn't judged by others. Whoever she was, she acted as his guardian.

With encouraging words, logical explanations, and hesitant warnings, she would help him move forward whenever he found himself stalled. She would give him confidence and strength in a way that made him feel useful and important. And more than once, she had pushed him to become more authoritative and demanding in order for him to take over as the team's leader.

And though he was never sure why she had wanted him to be, with her only explanation being _'something is calling you and no one else'_, he tried hard for her. She saw potential in him, and he wanted to prove her right. Proving her right, however, was difficult.

Ash always needed her help in making the first step…

"_Here._" Sabrina sat up and pressed her forehead against his. "We'll come up with a plan together, _okay_? We'll make it simple and easy. One that'll blow Team Rocket away! Got it?"

He smiled and breathed a small laugh. "_Yeah._ Got it."

_**Close your eyes and focus.**_

_You too._

"Look! She's coming back!" Maylene exclaimed as she took another bite of her fire-toasted sandwich.

Angie walked out of the darkness and into the campfire's light. "_I swear!_ I keep forgetting what I was going in there for!"

The group laughed loudly.

"You were looking for Ash!" Casey shouted with a snort.

"**Right!** Thanks Casey!" The tomboy turned and marched back into the woods.

"How much you bet she'll be back in two minutes?" Ritchie half-joked.

Liza pointed her drink in the girl's direction. "I still say she's faking it."

"But didn't you forget too when you went in there?" May nudged her with her foot.

"I didn't keep going back in though!"

**Rustle Rustle.**

"She's coming back already? New record!" Tracey raised his arms in joking celebration.

"I win the bet!" Ritchie exclaimed.

"No one even bet against you, idiot." Casey pointed out with another snort.

Angie appeared from the shadows again. This time, with two in tow.

"Look who I found!" She grinned with pride.

Ash and Sabrina walked towards the campfire.

"_And where have you two been?_" Maylene teased.

Todd whistled.

The group found themselves laughing again. Except for Dawn; the joke flying over her head completely.

A _**psychic spike**_ shot through each of their heads.

Each of them moaned, groaned, cursed, or went silent.

"_**Listen up.**_" Sabrina commanded, not so much encouraged. "Mr. Ketchum would like to speak about the renewed plans."

"Can't we talk about it tomorrow?" whined Casey.

"_**Would you rather wake early tomorrow for a meeting?**_"

"_No way." "Nuh-uh." "I'm sleeping late tonight!" "Yeah right." "Noo! Let's do it now!"_ they individually exclaimed their distaste for the early morning meeting.

"_**Then we shall commence the meeting now.**_" Sabrina sat and nodded towards Ash. _**Go ahead.**_

Ash stepped forward. "Tomorrow, we're splitting into three groups."

Complaints were heard all around, but were immediately quieted by a single_** glare**_ from the Psychic.

"May, you'll take Ritchie and Maylene to the Forbidden Forest in the Hoenn region. The Grass Pokémon shouldn't attack you as long as you stay close to May, so keep close."

The three nodded.

"Angie, Liza, Todd, and Tracey… you'll be leaving with Sabrina to the Orange Isles."

The four looked at one another in curiosity.

"Casey, Dawn? You two will be coming with me to Alto Mare."

Casey silently cheered, hoping for a vacation. Dawn tilted her head.

"We'll each split up and take a charizard for flight. Any pokémon that has one, should be put into their poké balls to make the flight easier. We leave tomorrow afternoon."

Casey raised her hand.

…

…

…

May nudged her with her elbow and waved her hand in front of her eyes.

Casey raised her brow.

"_Ash can't see!"_ the Coordinator hissed.

"**OH!** OH right. I mean. _Er._ Teacher – I mean, Mr. Ketchum – er, **Ash!** Yeah, Ash!"

Ritchie and Tracey covered their face in their palms in embarrassment for her.

"What is it, Casey?"

"Well… _thing is…_ I understand why May and the rest are going to the Forbidden Forest… it's to save the Pokémon Ranger, right?"

"And get her to join us." he added.

"Right. That. _And well…_ why is Sabrina's group so huge? And what exactly are** they **doing? And what exactly are **we** doing?"

"What I'm doing, and what you two will be helping me with, is trying to find someone named Bianca in Alto Mare."

"And she is…?"

"A friend."

"Seriously Ash, don't you know any men?" Angie sighed.

"**HEY!"** Todd, Tracey, and Ritchie barked at the same time.

"She meant _REAL_ men!" Maylene laughed, much to their ire.

"**Anyways!**" Casey took back the conversation. "So why are Dawn and me specifically for this group if neither of us have ever been to Alto Mare?"

"No one here's been to Alto Mare other than me. Right?"

"Actually, I vacationed there once!" Liza admitted with a smile. "It's a _beautiful _place."

The group started to chat about the rumors and stories of the island's wonderful scenery.

Ash coughed to regain their notice. "You have to stick with Sabrina's group, Liza."

Casey continued with her questions, "Why is that? Why is Sabrina's group specific? And like I said – fricken' huge?"

The Psychic answered for him. "_**My team will be heading to a secluded isle in the Orange region…**_ _**where Anabel is being kept.**_"

"**WHAT?" **Shouts, questions, and arguments were thrown at Ash and Sabrina. The main one being **"You knew where she was?"**

Another _**psychic spike**_ subdued them.

"_**I had received this information from Misty herself. She did not hand it to anyone else so we could all meet first while she went ahead.**_" Sabrina knew she wasn't being entirely true… _Misty didn't want anyone to follow_. But this was the only way to calm them.

"But why us?" Todd asked honestly. "Wouldn't it be smarter to take Ritchie or Maylene for this mission instead of…" he trailed off, not wanting to admit any weaknesses.

"A sketch-artist and photographer?" Tracey finished for him, choosing their profession as a label.

"No, it wouldn't." Ash answered. "If a group of Rockets are after Solana, she'll need the most experienced fighters with her. And since Ritchie and Maylene have more battle experience than the rest of us –"

"Other than Ash and myself." Sabrina added with no note of arrogance.

"– then they have to stick with May, who the Grass Pokémon will respect in the Forbidden Forest."

"Then couldn't Todd and I just tag along with you?" the sketch-artist suggested in nervousness. "I mean, wherever Anabel must be kept **must **be heavily guarded. We're not exactly the best trainers."

The photographer nodded with slight _shame_.

"Sabrina will be the main one handling any battles in your group. However, your main goal there isn't to fight, it's to rescue. Both you and Todd have sharp eyes and probably have more experience than the rest of us when it comes to staying unseen by pokémon… so you'll both be needed there."

Angie **cleared her throat**.

Ash smiled. "And Angie will be there because she knows Anabel the most."

"_Hey!_ I can fight too!" the tomboy stepped on his foot.

He held back a shout of pain. "_I _– I know. But Anabel needs a friend more than a fighter right now."

She sighed, walking off to her own corner. "_Man, I don't even like her that much…_" she mumbled to herself.

Angie turned back. "Can't we at least take Espeon or something? Have _her _talk to Anabel!"

"I might need Espeon in case anything goes wrong." Ash shrugged.

"Gah! Fine _fine fine_…" The tomboy rolled onto her sleeping bag. "But don't expect me to handle all her mushy stuff."

"And me?" Liza spoke up.

"In case there's any other prisoners there, or in case you run into Misty – they'll more than likely need their own charizards to make it safely off the island. And you'll need to be there to direct them."

"Gotcha'."

"…does that answer everything?" Ash turned towards Casey.

"Almost."

The male Empathic sighed. He was getting tired of all the questions, and tired of acting like the one with all the answers. He missed it when Sabrina or Maylene would lead these kinds of meetings…

_**They need to trust you and listen to you.**_ Sabrina reminded.

_I know I know…_

"Yes, Casey?"

"Where do we meet after all this?"

"Angie? Maylene?" He nodded to the two of them. "You remember how to get to my hiding place in Pallet?"

"Still do!" Maylene smiled.

"Yeah. I think I can find my way back." Angie said with a wave.

"Then we'll meet there when we're finished. Anyone who gets there early, just camp and wait for the rest. Are we clear?"

Nods and agreements were felt and heard all around.

"Then meeting dismissed."

"I'll go print off maps!" May stood and ran towards the Pokémon Center.

"I'll make a quick trip to Violet City to buy medicine and Potions." Dawn put her purse around her shoulder and started jogging. "Let's hope their store's still open!"

"I'll write notes, just to outline what everyone has to do in case they forget." Tracey eagerly pulled out his pencil and notebook.

Ritchie got up and rummaged through his backpack. "I can make everyone small meals they can take with them for the trip."

"And **I'm** going to **sleep**!" Angie slipped into her sleeping bag and rolled over. "Night, all!"

The rest laughed.

"No way am I going to get any sleep. I'm _way_ too pumped!" Maylene grinned with excitement. She began working punches and kicks into a nearby tree, wondering what kind of opponents she'd face.

"Same here! I'm gonna' go tell Electabuzz about it!" Casey ran towards the Pokémon Center, catching up with May.

"Well I guess I better buy some new photo rolls at the shop then." Todd stood up and stretched. "Wait up, Dawn!"

"I'll inform the charizards what the plan is." Liza walked into the woods. "See everyone in the morning then."

"**Night, Liza!"** the ones remaining by the campfire shouted.

"_Oh sure_, no one says goodnight to me!" the tomboy complained.

"Night, Anj."

"_Thank you!_ Night, Ash."

...

Seconds passed and the campsite was quiet. Everyone busied themselves for tomorrow. And for that, Ash was _relieved_…

He let out a long sigh.

_**You did well, Ash.**_

_Thanks. Still not sure why I had to explain everything, but I'm glad I did that._

_**If I had done it, everyone would just be in an irritated or depressed mood.**_

_No, they wouldn't._

_**They wouldn't. But it's a shorter answer than the one I would've given you if I had told the truth.**_

The two laughed quietly.

"Thanks again, Sabrina."

"I'm sure I'll be thanking you by the end of all this."

She smiled and walked to her tent.

Pausing, she turned towards him.

_**Get some rest. You'll need all your energy by tomorrow.**_

* * *

><p>She finished looping the last rope around the charizard's chest and pulled tight. It tied perfectly.<p>

"What are you doing to your charizard, Maylene?" Angie curiously studied the fastened lines around the dragon-like pokémon.

The pink-haired fighter turned towards her.

Angie jumped back and nearly screamed. "M-Maylene! _**What happened to you?**_"

Large bags and red splotches decorated her eyes. "_…didn't…. sleep…. Tiiired._"

She pointed towards her sleeping bag – tied to the back of the charizard. "_I sleep on flight._" she moaned.

"That's actually pretty smart." the tomboy honestly complimented, though still slightly spooked by Maylene's face.

"Hey Anj! Hey Lene!" Ash walked towards them. "Just thought I'd get say goodbye before we left."

"**Hi Ash!"** Maylene faced him with a perfect smile.

_That didn't take much._ Angie's brow twitched.

Ash winced in pain – the sudden surge of_** loud **__cheerfulness _knocking his senses off balance.

"_Whoops._ Sorry about that." Maylene scratched her nose in embarrassment. "So what did you want to talk to us about?"

He rebalanced himself. "Just wanted to say _'bye'_ for now."

"What do you mean_ 'bye'_?" She struck his shoulder with a punch. "You mean _'see you later'_!"

He struck back. "See you later, OK?"

She grinned. "**OK!**"

Her emotions _dimmed down_ drastically. She turned and pathetically tried climbing into her sleeping bag. All her remaining energy being spent on the merry reaction for Ash.

Angie stepped towards Ash.

…

"So how do we do this?" She crossed her arms, _waiting_ for his response.

"_Hm_?"

"I mean, do we handshake? High-five? I punch you, you punch me? Or do you just disappear and run off without saying a single thing to me?"

An emotion he hadn't ever felt from Angie stood in front of him. _Hurt._

"Angie, I…"

"You're a **jerk**, you know that?" She stared at him, keeping her face serious despite what her lips and eyes wanted. "You didn't even apologize last night! Instead you had to have your little private talks with Sabrina. Keeping me out of your business and plans."

"I didn't mean it that way."

"I have to keep up a neutral face, _you know?_ As long as there are all these friends of yours here, I can't make a big fuss." Angie glanced around her, watching everyone pack their bags and belongings, getting to know their charizards, and sharing final conversations with one another. "I want to. I_ really_ want to make a big deal about this. But I can't."

Tears formed on the corner of her eyes. She blinked them away instantly. "May could probably cry and no one would mind. But me? I might as well have the whole world stare at me if I even_ dared _to. They'd probably side with me just cuz I'm a girl. They'd probably yell at you, thinking you were some horrible person.

"But it's none of their business. This is between you and me." Her eyes locked onto his. "I know you can count on me on taking things like a man. I know you can count on me understanding your position and choices. But Ash? I'm not perfect. You have to talk to me for me to really get what you're doing or saying. You have to communicate with me, like you do with everyone else.

"Now I don't have any fancy powers to talk to you secretly, and you definitely have had bigger things to worry about to even consider having another private chat reserved for me. But don't go talking to me normally as if _nothing_ happened."

Ash tilted his head towards the forest, gesturing for them to walk.

The two of them travelled quietly into the trees.

_Something wrong, Ash?_ May poked with her Empathy.

He_ blocked_ her emotions out.

Sabrina's mind curiously _looked in his direction_, but _backed away_ when she realized he was in no mood.

The male Empathic leaned against a tree facing the opposite direction of the camp.

The tomboy did the same to a tree next to his.

…

"_You left without saying a thing, Ash…"_

"I didn't think it would be a big deal. You seemed… _fine _without me. Just happy to be a part of the team."

"Is that how you really see me?"

"_I…_ I'm not really sure…"

"… _look…_ I know all this is crazy… and you have to take care of how many people now, so now it's getting harder and harder to know each and every person on this _'team'_. But Ash, I'm not _just_ a teammate. And I'm… not just a friend."

She sniffed away a few tears and wiped her face in her sleeves. "I was worried about you, Ash! I thought Team Rocket got you while we were asleep… I spent the first two hours freaking out and panicking. And I only found out where you went after little _Ms. Psychic-know-it-all _told us. I mean, you realize how hard it is to get anything out of her? It's like talking to a rock! She doesn't talk back, she just talks when she _feels_ like it."

"Sabrina didn't know. Only her alakazam knew. She probably didn't mention it until he told her."

"**Well I'm glad she has an excuse!**" Angie growled in irritation. "But what does a girl _who supposedly knows everything there is about you_, have as an explanation as to why the boy _she followed on this crazy trip because she cares about him_ – didn't say a _**single thing **_to her before he decided to run into a Team Rocket tunnel just to save **an emotional wreck of a girl **who keeps _**irrationally trying to prove herself to him**_?"

She ended with a deep breath… and continued, "_Look…_ I'm sorry if I insulted May in any way, but fact is, you keep giving every needy girl your undivided attention… when the one who keeps you as you, and likes you for you, is standing off to the side with barely even a fraction of the attention you've given everyone else…"

"I'm sorry…" was all Ash could find as the right response.

"I… _love_ you, Ash. And whether you want that to build into anything important or to keep it as just close friends, I don't really care." Angie turned towards him and let herself cry, _opening herself completely_ for him. "I just want to at least know what's going on in that head of yours. Keep me in the loop. Tell me what's up before you just up and go away. Because I **swear** if you somehow end up dead at the end of all of this just because you stupidly didn't tell me what you planned on doing, and your only excuse would be that you _'didn't think it'd be a big deal'_…"

She shuffled over to Ash and pressed her head against his chest. "_I… I swear I'd… I'd…_"

Her voice trailed into a broken sob.

"_I'm… I'm sorry._" Tears ran down his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her. "_I'm sorry, Angie…_"

"You… jerk." she forced her words to come back. "_I…_ I know I'm not like other girls, but… I'm still a girl, Ash. As much as I don't like these stupid feelings and weaknesses_… it's who I am_. I can work myself to be better than the rest, tougher than the rest, stronger than the rest. But I'm still a girl. _A stupid little girl_."

Her fingers gripped onto his shirt. "Even if I'm not, I want you to treat me like your partner… you _tell_ me what's going on. You_ tell _me what you want. You _tell _me what you plan on doing. You don't have to tell me _every_ little detail. You can hide what he said she said. You can have your secrets. But I just want you to know that I didn't come on this crazy trip for myself…_ I came here for you, Ash. _I wanted to be with _you_. So…"

She pushed herself away and wiped off her eyes. "Just don't go running off without saying a thing. And _don't you dare_ think I don't care. Because I do. You stupid jerk."

Ash nodded, his smile trembling.

"_Ugh._ Don't look at me like that." Angie wiped away his tears with her sleeve. "You're more feminine than I am."

"Blame the Empathy." he laughed weakly.

"At least you have an excuse."

She stepped back and gave him a long-lasting stare.

"You find that Bianca girl and you come back to Pallet safely, okay?"

"And you take care of Anabel and come back to Pallet safely, okay?"

She frazzled her hair with _irritated _scratches. "**Agh!** She's going to get all emotional! I hate that stuff…"

He laughed. She laughed with him soon afterward.

…

"See you later?" He raised his hand.

Angieslappeda high-five and walked back towards her side of the camp. "We better."

Ash smiled, feeling satisfaction.

…

_**I truly believe she's the right choice for you.**_

_SABRINA! Privacy!_

* * *

><p>"<em>Byyyyeee!"<em>

"_Farewell!"_

"_Have a safe trip!"_

"_Take care! And don't lose your maps or compasses!"_

On the backs of their given charizards, each member of the group waved one last goodbye to one another. They had split into their designated teams and prepared for their given missions. Each was given a map, a compass, packed meals, medicine, and a written note of instructions.

…except for Ash, who was only given the packed meals and medicine, for obvious reasons.

_**Ensure you're completely secured to the charizard.**_

_Yes, Sabrina…_

_And make sure Espeon's poké ball is in a pocket it can't fall out of!_

_I know, May…_

_**Have you already chosen who will be the one to lead you to the island?**_

_Yes, Dawn's the main one leading us._

_Does she know how to read the map? Does she have a compass?_

_Of course she does! You gave it to her, remember?_

_**Would Casey be able to lead in case of emergency?**_

_What? Uh… I think so…_

_How will you know how to get back to the meeting spot in Pallet Town if neither of them has ever been there?_

_Well… er…_

_**In case of an emergency, is it possible for you to contact May through her pokétab?**_

_I dunno, I…_

_I don't know what the pokétab's number is! Did Bill ever tell us what it was?_

"**Ahh! Stop with the questions!**" Ash shouted out.

The campsite went quiet as everyone stared at the Pokémon Trainer with confused looks.

"_Eheh…_" Ash blushed in embarrassment. He adjusted his sitting position and patted on the charizard. "Come on, Dawn! Let's go."

"**O-Oh!** Okay!" Dawn hopped on her charizard and kicked her heels against its sides. "Let's go, Stacy!"

"Wait up! Wait up!" Casey hopped and skipped as she tied on one of her shoes. "Ben! Get over here!"

Her assigned Flame Pokémon marched towards her and dipped its head. She hopped onto its back and completed the knot for her sneaker. "Alright, let's do this!"

With a kick of the heel, the Charicific Charizard roared and shot off the ground.

"_Ben? Stacy?"_ Ash scratched his chin and patted his ride. "…do you have a name?"

It shrugged. _Don't care._

"Well, when you want one, you tell me, okay? For now, let's catch up with those two!"

It grunted and began flapping its wings.

"**Good luck, Ash!**" Angie yelled.

"**You too, Anj!**"

_**I'll ensure she's safe.**_ Sabrina nodded towards him.

_Make sure Anabel's safe too._ He grinned knowingly.

_**Of course.**_

_And I'll make sure we rescue Solana! You can count on that!_

_I know you will, May. Just make sure Ritchie and Maylene don't get lost in there._

_Will do._

_Until Pallet!_ he sent to the Empathic and Psychic.

_Until Pallet!_ May responded as she hopped onto her charizard.

_**Take care.**_ Sabrina smiled and readied for her flight.

The unnamed charizard growled and took off for the skies.

"Alto Mare, here we come!"


	22. Chapter 22 The Purpose

"Hey Ash!" Casey flew close towards him, adjusting her charizard to his speed.

Ash turned towards her stiffly with a weak smile. The cold air bit his skin, the no-named pokémon's every movement between his legs feeling exaggerated with every twitch, and the height _vertigo_ playing games with hisfears.

If there was anything he disliked about his blindness, it was the fact that it made him gain an unreasonable fear of heights.

He gripped onto the straps wrapped around the charizard's shoulders. _"H-Hey Casey, what's up?"_

"Just wanted to ask you something!" she shouted above the wind noise.

"_Y-Yeah?"_

"Which one of the girls are you dating?"

"**WH-WHAT?" **Ash's grip loosened and nearly fell off his ride.

The unnamed charizard rolled its shoulder, adjusting the shocked man back to a balanced position.

"**Careful there!"** Casey yelled as she moved 'Ben' to a different location in case Ash would fall again.

"Wh-What do you mean dating?" he seemed less concerned about heights now. The question itself didn't bother him, but the use of the word _'girls'_ to refer to his friends like a harem was an entirely different story.

"So you're not dating anyone?"

"N-No!"

The baseball fan did a quick heel kick, gesturing for 'Ben' to speed up. **"HEY DAWN! HE SAID HE'S NOT DATING ANY OF THEM!"**

Dawn didn't bother 'almost falling over': She completely dropped from her ride.

'Stacy' flinched in panic. With a quick dive, she rushed down to catch her rider.

'Ben' flew in for support.

"_Why did you say that out loud?" _Dawn's voice could be heard from below, slowly rising as her charizard regained altitude.

Casey's cacklecould also be heard.

Ash sighed._ Seriously, now's not the time…_

Trying to find something to keep his mind occupied with, he busied himself with tying the straps of his backpack into different knots.

…but his mind refused to be distracted.

Bored immediately, he decided conversation would be more effective in putting his thoughts elsewhere, and gave notice to the pokémon that carried him. "Hey no-name."

_?_ The charizard gave him its _attention_.

"Do you know my charizard?"

_Acknowledgement. Denial._

"_So…_ I guess… that's a _'maybe' _or a _'kind of'_." Ash tried focusing. His fear of heights making any emotional response vague at best. "…did you ever train with him?"

_Yes…_

"How is he? Strong?"

_Strong… but stronger now._

"Stronger now? That's awesome. All that training back in the Valley must be really good for him, huh?"

_No… Tragedy. Makes one stronger._

"Tragedy…? You mean… _what happened to Charla_?"

_Yes… but also… egg._

"Egg?"

_Team Rocket. Stolen egg. Charla's egg. His egg._

"**Charizard had an egg with Charla?"**

_Acknowledgement._

"_Team Rocket…_" Ash growled. "I'll make them pay."

_No need._

"Huh?"

_Charizard… not with any of us._

"What do you mean not with any of us?"

_Left yesterday. Night. Chasing Team Rocket. Can smell the ones who stole._

"_He left by himself? _We could've–"

_No… must be alone. Must do by self. Not satisfied if helped. His fight. His child. His mate._

The Empathic felt powerless. As he soared through the sky to complete another mission, as he was one step closer to fighting Team Rocket at their full strength… another one of his friends was out there, alone… this one fighting for a stolen child and a lost wife.

_None of that would have happened if they weren't after me… if I hadn't gotten Empathy… if I hadn't gone blind…_

Troubled and slowly becoming depressed, he longed for the company of Angie or Sabrina. He needed someone to tell him it was okay, that it was all going to be okay.

Instead, he was only treated with the silent hum of the wind within the darkness of his sight. Even with his Empathy showing him the warmth and color of others, his blindness would at times make him feel more desolate. Thoughts of failure or confusion were the main culprits that forced him sink into this sense of loneliness.

_The black marble…_ Ash remembered the mysterious item that hid away in the corner of his pocket. His attention towards it seemed to affect it, as it had begun turning hot – warming his skin through the fabrics.

…_the black marble…_ The source of everything that had occurred to him. From the Rocket attack, to their current search mission that split them apart. It had warned him, it had guided him. Through conflict and calamity, it had pushed him. Dangers and the unknown waited them wherever they went. All for the sake of what the black marble wanted from him.

His head suddenly felt _clear_. As if he could finally _see things_ he never understood before.

Now, more than ever before, he knew… _he knew_ the marble wasn't there before. His memories of always having it were lies. _Illusions._ The marble appeared recently. He wasn't sure when, but he realized the first time he had ever 'seen' it when he first brought Angie into his hidden sanctuary. It sat there, mysteriously within his toolbox, as if it had _always belonged_ there.

But… he couldn't get rid of this feeling that, thought it had only _manifested _recently – he felt like it had always been with him… always _watching_ him… always being _a part of _him… and only became physical during recent events.

_No… not during. …__**Because**__ of recent events._

Ash wished he had studied more about the marble and why it came into his possession. However, in recent days, he had completely forgotten about it. Making it far more difficult, Sabrina had completely forgotten about the marble as well. As if it had stopped _existing_ since then.

_Or maybe… it only makes itself known when it wants to be._

He returned his attention to the burning sensation on his hip. _Then why now…?_

It grew hotter. _Why is it getting hotter?_

He reached into his pocket and risked a touch.

"**Agh!"** He winced from the heat.

The charizard stopped, concerned for him.

_Hm? What the…_

The heat dissipated.

_Is it…_

"No-name, fly back a bit."

**WHU-WHUMPH-WHUMPH.** Its large wings flapped against the wind.

As they reversed, the memories of the marble started _fading_.

"Wait!"

And the charizard stopped once again.

… _the marble… it's making itself known the closer we get to Alto Mare._

_**Alto Mare.**_

Ash's eyes went wide.

For a moment that had no time, he swore he could see again.

In his sight, he saw himself in the same position as he was now… _but with a pidgeot instead of a charizard. The skies were a perfect blue, accented by the purest white of clouds._

…

"Go forward…"

The charizard flew forward once more.

Cold wind chilled his skin and height-phobia poked at his senses…

…and the marble began to burn again.

"**It's Alto Mare!"**

"_What?"_ Dawn flew towards him, worried for his slowed speed.

"Something's at Alto Mare!" Ash took off his vest and placed it on his lap, resting the marble within it, to avoid its rising temperature.

"_Well duh!_ The girl we're supposed to find!" Casey kicked 'Ben' to go faster as Ash and the charizard sped by them.

"No! Not that!"

Another vision. _Him on a pidgeot again. The sky was dark. Lightning roared. Rain struck against his face. A woman flew beside him on another pidgeot. _

_Orange hair… __**Misty!**_

The vision disappeared.

"Something else! Something **important** to all of this!" Ash roared in _excitement_ and _desperation_. He had to know. Something was leading him here. He didn't know what, but he _had _to find out.

"_Ash! Slow down!"_ Dawn called out behind.

"_Yeah! You can't even see where you're going!"_ Casey yelled. _"…he can't, can he?"_ she asked Dawn with a hint of doubt.

Another vision. _The storm was stronger. A great light from below._

"_Slow down! We need to stick together!" A man cried out from behind. A voice he didn't recognize._

"_Ah! Wait up! Don't get ahead of us!" This voice sounded familiar…_

_The light below __**exploded**__._

And the world turned black again.

**Winds roared** against his ears. The atmosphere surrounding him quaked and vibrated in powerful waves, threatening to send him skyward. His arms were wrapped around the charizard's neck as it continued to accelerate. They were diving.

"_**ASH!"**_

"_**Are you sure he can't see?"**_

His ride spun, nearly throwing him off. Their orientation changed completely.

**STOMP.** The charizard shook.

**STOMP.** It shook again.

**Krikik.** Ash found himself falling back as the unnamed pokémon stretched its back.

The marble bounced off his vest and into his lap. _HOT._

"**OWOWOWOW!"** Ash leapt off the charizard… and landed.

…_a road?_ His hands felt the ground below, feeling the pattern of cement designs… similar to _plaza flooring_. _Where am I?_

_Glass._ The marble touched his fingertip. It was no longer hot. _It's cold…_

He couldn't explain it, but it had felt like it was… _satisfied._

"_Weird…"_

Ash noticed an emotion of_ surprise_ standing next to him. It seemed to have been standing there for quite some time – completely stunned by the rough landing of an exceptionally large charizard.

"_U-Um… _Excuse me?" he turned and politely acknowledged the presence.

"Y-Yes?"

"Can you tell me where I am?"

The woman looked at him strangely. "…You're in Alto Mare."

* * *

><p>"<strong>Ash! Wait up!"<strong> Dawn unsaddled herself from her charizard and began running.

"_Hey Dawn! You left your bag!"_ Casey called out from above as she piloted her ride to the ground below. _"…and a fricken' large charizard! In fact, Ash left one too – you seriously think they'll be fine standing out here?"_

"Find a good place to put them!" She didn't bother turning around.

"_What am I? Your chauffeur?"_

"You owe me!"

The young Coordinator sprinted down the cobblestone pathway and turned down an alleyway. "Ash!"

He didn't hear her. Despite her voice echoing against the tight walls, he seemed completely unaware of her presence. Continuing in his almost random path of searching, the young man travelled down another passageway.

She ran down as quickly as she could and turned the corner.

Another narrow street with several more pathways.

_What's with this place? It's like a maze!_

_A gorgeous maze…_ Dawn wished she could find time to admire the scenery.

The small streets and near infinite amount of alleys gave the small island town a mysterious sense of beauty. A few hanging gardens and dimly-lit streetlights decorated the area above her, a view that would have given her an enviable sense of a simple life. And as the sun set, the sky slowly painted itself in stunning tones of orange and peach, with a bell tower slowly chiming the change of time…

It was all unbelievably magical, but she couldn't cherish it.

She _needed to find Ash._

Down one corner, into another…

Following one path, ending up in a new one…

Crossing a bridge that stood over a lovely side canal that reflected a sharp image of the soft sky…

Passing by a bakery of wonderful-smelling bread…

Running across the calming coastline with all its relaxing sounds of stretching mooring lines as their attached gondolas rocked against the water…

It was all beyond anything she could have imagined for a romantic getaway…

But right now, she _needed to find Ash…_

_Ash Ketchum_, the boy she considered to be a good friend just a handful of months back, now meant something more to her. She couldn't get him out of her head, out of her dreams, or out of her everyday thoughts… now she didn't want him out of her life.

As she ran, she reminisced of the times she had spent with him – from all their grand adventures, to all their peaceful moments. She shared more memories with him than she had originally thought… a realization that had been haunting her for the past weeks.

She remembered in being able to rival the amount of stories and epic retellings that Misty had with him. She prided in that fact. Though at that time, it was just out of friendship… _just a friendly game_. But now it was a jealous pride. They were_ her _memories with Ash… ones no one else could truly share with her. Ones she never wanted to forget. And ones she wanted even more of.

But now… things were _moving too fast._

Ash had spent more time and memories with _all these new people_… and as he did, he continued to change. She loved the change, for that she was sure. But where she was ending up, she was afraid of.

With the way things were moving, he was becoming too busy for her. Becoming _too mature_ for her. Becoming _too good_ for her. She would soon be out of his life, and _he'd move on_… while she'd be _stuck_ with everyone else. _Everyone else who wasn't him… who could never be him… who could never be there for her in ways he always was…._

Compared to all the other women in his life, she was now one of the ones who had the least amount of time with him – _real_ time with him. She had become one of those who had far less stories and experiences with him – who never really knew him on a personal level.

The time she had spent away from him, despite it being nothing compared to the time they had spent together in quantity – was experienced in greater quality.

_Misty, May, Angie, Anabel, Sabrina, and Maylene had spent so much more time with him privately… getting to know and understand him completely… _She felt like she didn't know a single thing about him whatsoever anymore.

_But that's not right… I spent more time with him. Didn't I?_

She began _regretting _never having listened to Lyra…

"ASH!"

**CRASH**

"_Owwww…"_ Dawn rubbed her forehead and hip, struggling to push herself to her feet. She had collided into someone as she turned another corner.

Looking up, Dawn saw a young woman holding her head, in quiet pain.

"_Are you okay?"_ The Coordinator stood and bowed in apology. "I'm _so_ sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!"

The woman bowed back and smiled.

…

…

_Why isn't she moving out of the way?_ Dawn was growing impatient.

_No… don't be rude…_ "_Er…_ You haven't seen a boy run through here, have you?"

The woman blinked.

"…has black hair, kind of messy, like this…" Dawn described as she pulled at her own hair to mimic Ash's.

Still silent, the woman tilted her head.

"…goes by the name of Ash." _No wait… she wouldn't know his name, dummy._

Unexpectedly, the woman's eyes lit up.

Even more unexpected, she ran down the streets, sniffing the air. She waved Dawn over.

"…_oh…ookay…"_ she followed.

The young woman ran into an alley, continuing to follow an almost imaginary scent.

Despite its odd form of searching, Dawn trailed her.

One pathway, through another, across a bridge, up a hill, and down a hill.

Around a corner, through a small tunnel, and back along the coastline.

The Coordinator was beyond disorientated at this point, but something _about_ the woman kept her intrigued enough to keep trusting her sense of direction.

And it paid off.

Standing by a broken pillar in a forgotten port, Ash faced the endless ocean in silence.

"_Ash, is that you?"_

Before Dawn could say anything, another female's voice had blocked her off.

Coming from the other side of the coastline, the young woman that had led her there was running towards Ash.

…_wait a minute…_

She looked to her left, and saw her female guide standing beside her.

She looked ahead, and saw her female guide running from a distance.

"**Wh-What?"** Dawn jumped back in shock.

"_Looks like you found Ash first!"_ Casey waved as she ran alongside the doppelganger.

The baseball-capped girl paused when she noticed Dawn's guide. "Huh?"

She looked between the woman who had led her to Ash, and the woman that had led Dawn to Ash. "**Whoah**, twins!"

"Twins?" The Coordinator sighed in relief, gladdened thatshe wasn't seeing something mind-bending.

Ash turned. "Oh hey Bianca! And hey Latias!"

"_Bianca?"_

"_Latias?"_

The silent woman jumped and wrapped her arms around Ash. Dawn felt a tinge of anger spike inside her chest.

"Latias! What are you doing out here?" The other woman, now known as Bianca, pulled the mute off him. Her voice went down to a whisper, _"There's people out here! How are we going to explain this?"_

Ash smiled. "Don't worry about it, Bianca. You can trust them. They're good friends."

Bianca looked at Dawn and Casey with judgmental worry, but eventually decided against her apprehensions. She let her twin go.

The twin grinned.

As if she was a mirage, the woman's body faded… its true form finally showing.

"**WHAT THE HECK?"** Casey instinctively pulled out a poké ball.

Dawn gazed in fascination.

A pokémon of unique shape appeared before them. With a striking pattern of red and white on its strange fur-scales, and a beautiful pair of golden eyes – the Coordinator only saw a magnificent potential in a Contest pokémon…

"_Wow…"_ she gasped.

"Dawn, Casey, meet Latias." Ash introduced. "And this is my friend Bianca, the one I was looking for."

* * *

><p>The night sky covered the tiny island in a starlit blanket of soft darkness. Lamplights and houselights gave the town a comforting orange hue. As with all small towns, most businesses and public areas were closed and abandoned by the time the sun had hidden itself away. Only a few specialty shops remained open, with its few customers travelling to and fro.<p>

Lit only by a single light that hung off an old fishing supply store, the group of five sat in a circle. Located in an abandoned port away from the eyes and ears of others, they had gotten together and exchanged stories.

With an exhale and a nod, Ash had finally finished speaking.

They were quiet… with Bianca sitting wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Even Casey found herself in shock.

Dawn simply smiled, not too surprised, as she knew the young man well enough.

The story of their entire journey was told, and all four females sat in complete attentiveness.

Though the Coordinator and baseball fanatic had heard it before, they had never heard every detail from Ash himself – only bits and pieces shared and cut down by others.

Latias seemed _relieved_. Far more _gladdened_ by Ash's current safety than his past troubles.

Bianca, however, was in _disbelief_. Her lips wanting to express something, but finding no words.

While she herself has faced her own adventures, she found that it never compared to anything close to Ash's stories… _especially_ this most recent venture. She felt like a small town girl who had just met a city boy who had been around the world.

_What could she say? What could she express? What would be the appropriate response?_

Casey, rude as ever, decided that a question would be the right response for her, "_So…_ Why'd we come here to pick up Bianca?"

The Alto Mare native shook her mind back to reality. "Yes, actually, I'd like to know that too."

Latias nudged herself against Bianca and tilted her head. _Me?_

"Did you come here to get me because of Latias?" she asked for her shy pokémon friend.

"Well actually…"

…

Ash's face frowned in thought.

…

"_Don't tell me you don't remember…"_ Dawn sighed.

He removed his backpack and opened it. Rummaging through its contents, he pulled out a folded slip of paper and handed it to Bianca.

She opened it and smiled. "It's the picture I drew of you and Pikachu!"

"You drew that?" Dawn looked over her shoulder. "That's really good!"

"Thanks!" She blushed. "I think I can do better now, though."

"For some reason…" Ash interrupted the casual conversation. "…that called out to me."

"Called out to you?" Bianca blinked.

The Empathic reached into his pocket. "_Right…_ That's why I came here specifically."

He produced a small item in his hand.

The girls leaned in to stare at the nearly insignificant object.

"A marble?" Dawn identified.

"What's it for?" Casey questioned.

Latias and Bianca were utterly fixated by it…

Ash nodded. "This thing is the reason why I'm even here… it's the one that gave me the feeling of who to look for. And it's the one that led me to this exact spot."

"What does that mean?" Casey sat back and rubbed her ear, trying to get a hollow ring out of her hearing.

"I'm not really sure how to explain it…"

"_An Arceus Drop."_ Bianca whispered almost incoherently.

Ash's ear caught it and his eyes went wide.

Flashes of visions came to him again, far too fast for him to tell what was happening. Blurs of light and moments and histories.

'…_it's beautiful… it has the colors of every element… like a drop of Arceus itself…'_

The visions stopped soon after, pieces of the memory still echoing in his thoughts.

"You… _You know what it is_?" He gave Bianca all his attention.

"_**We**_…We know what it is."

"You and Latias?"

"Me… Latias… _**you**_…"

"…_me_?"

Bianca stood and walked towards the edge of one of the bridges. Latias floated beside her.

"…we know… but we can't explain it. As if… _we've always known it_."

"That's exactly how I feel…" Ash joined her.

Dawn and Casey followed closely behind.

…

"Something happened here a long time ago." Bianca mentioned almost unknowingly. "Something important… something we can't_ remember_."

The male Empathic held out the marble. "But this can."

"The Arceus Drop?"

He nodded. "It let me see things. Visions. I can't really explain it."

"Then maybe… if Latias and I remember it too… _then…_"

Bianca and Latias leaned forward and touched the marble.

A blinding light swallowed the reality around them.

Darkness.

* * *

><p>"<strong>MAYA! STOP!"<strong>

Black lightning sparked against the walls and floors. Its exploding contact gave it a frightening **roar** and a deadly touch.

No one could move, no one could get close, no one but Maya.

She poured every ounce of herself into the espeon. Sending waves of fusing violet and magenta energy to deflect every negative shock that came their way.

"_**DO IT NOW, SATO!"**_ she screamed.

"**I WON'T! I CAN'T LET YOU!"**

"_**DO IT NOW OR IT BREAKS FREE AND WE'RE ALL DEAD!"**_

He **howled** in _indecisive fury_. Tears ran down his eyes as he placed his hands to his stomach.

An arc of lightning went around the barrier wave and blasted straight for his head.

A flash of clashing colors sparked, as a swirl of dark purple shielded him.

He turned. A woman in a pure black bodysuit walked towards him, her arms spread out. "Don't just stand there! **Fire it now, Aura!** If you dare have any hesitations now, I swear I'll kill you myself!"

"Quinn… _Thank you…_"

"If you really want to thank me, then fire it now!" _**We only have one chance! Use it!**_

Sato closed his eyes, _focusing _all his energy to his center.

A sphere of pure blue and white grew from his palms.

"**SATO!"**

"**MAYAA!"** He pulled the orb back and launched it forward.

It rocketed towards the gargantuan device that stood in the center of the facility.

The negative electricity desperately reached and grabbed for the ball of light, attracted to its life force. Its size far too small and its speed far too fast for any of the dark energy to capture it.

An inch away from making contact, Sato pressed his arms forward and sent _his entire Aura_ into the orb.

It exploded in size, increasing beyond anyone's expectations.

The darkness wrapped around it, ready to devour and destroy it completely.

Maya turned back and smiled.

The espeon hopped onto her shoulder and covered her in an armor of_ psychic energy_.

She nodded towards Sato... and ran into the spiraling sphere of Aura.

Her figure disappeared completely into the blue and white.

…which soon turned black.

The blackened energy was too much, its energy shredding everything around it, feeding it, nourishing it with its own poison.

"**She's not strong enough!"** Quinn roared as she shot _psychic lances_ into the blackening orb. **"Her Empathy's not strong enough!"**

Sato launched another Aura Sphere into the energy battle. His body crumpled, absolutely drained.

A blast of_ furious blue _cracked the black shroud.

"Lucario!"

The blue jackal dragged itself forward, its legs completely useless after its last battle.

It launched another blast, creating another dent.

But the darkness was winning. Where they had strength, it had endurance. _They would fail. They would always fail. Because the darkness was fact. It was a darkness that has existed long before any of their energies came into consciousness. A darkness that had waited for centuries for this one moment. A darkness that could wait centuries more.__** A darkness that endures all. If the darkness awoke, the dream would end, and every character would cease to be. The darkness was fact, and they were its fiction.**_

It crept into their minds, hearts, and souls… weakening and breaking their will.

Quinn was the first to fall. "_We can't… win… We've failed. __**All of this… just to fail?**__ No…_" The regret and doubt in her heart overtook her.

Lucario fell next, his physical weaknesses dragging him into unconsciousness.

Sato looked on in hopelessness as the darkness began to shrink, crushing the living energies inside it.

_Maya…_

_Maya!_

"**MAYAAAAA!"**

A silhouette of light sparked within the black orb, _reacting to his voice_.

_**SATO! **_

A force of every color tore through the darkness.

The nothingness ruptured as a force of _everything_ exploded inside it.

_Emotions, Thoughts, and Purposes_ of all kinds swirled into the fabric of unreality – _filling voids that never were, and giving energy wherever it ceased to be…_ Every color of existence, and even those that have _yet to be_, and even those that have been _forgotten by the ages_, flared and shot out.

And as quickly as it had appeared, the colors began to fade. Light slowly warped back to normal… revealing a perfect sight where there had once been nothing but corruption.

Standing where the darkness used to _never be_, a woman of orange hair stood… staring at the large machine that loomed over them all.

Its lights blinked green.

"_We did it…"_ She smiled.

…

Maya fell. The espeon next to her immediately sniffed her body for injuries.

Sato ran to her side. "Maya, what–"

A black slit on her chest. _Where the darkness had touched, nothing was left._

"No…"

"_S-Sato?"_

He wrapped his hands around hers, locking fingers. "I'm here… _I'm still here._"

"…_I'll go check on the machine."_ Quinn whispered as she silently made her way to a ladder.

"_Is… _everyone _okay_?" Maya's voice struggled.

"Yes… _everyone's okay._"

Three others appeared by Sato's side.

The Fighter… Ramie.

The Pokémon Champion… Farron.

The Pokémon Researcher… Leanne.

"You did great, you crazy girl." Ramie patted Maya's head softly and sniffed away tears. "You did real great."

"I…" Farron choked on his words. He was _angry… depressed… furious… sorrowful…_ he couldn't look at her, he couldn't think about her. _Not now. Not like this._ He turned. "_I'll go check on the prisoner…_"

"_Maya…_ thank you." was the only thing that Leanne knew to say.

Sato lifted the broken woman into his arms. "_See?_ Everyone's okay, Maya. _Everyone's okay._"

"I'm happy…_ very happy._"

"**The machine's working perfectly! I'll keep it monitored!"** Quinn called from above. **"Arceus is ready whenever you are!"**

"_You hear that?_" Sato forced a smile as he wiped away more tears. "Arceus is ready. We can make everything better again… _we… c-can go back and everything… everything will be fine._"

He lied to himself.

He told her the complete truth, but it was nothing more than a _sick joke_ to himself.

Arceus can reverse everything… _except for what the darkness has claimed._

He held her tightly. "Everything will be okay again…"

"…Sato… I… _love_…"

The wound was too much, the pain far too strong, and her body finally too weak to fight back death. In her last glances of light, she looked up to the man that held her in his arms.

_This man…_ she thought to herself. _This man, that I had just met… a man I had spent no more than two months with… he became everything that ever mattered to me… everything that I had desired in this world… he became my world… and I'm sorry… I did this for you… to say thank you…_

Her world started to fade, and she could no longer recall what existence truly felt like.

Memories were vanishing, emotions were dulling, but _he_ remained… _whatever his name was…_ she couldn't remember… _but he was still there…_

"_No please… please don't go…_" Sato whispered with a shaking voice. Tears ran down his face as he gazed into her jaded eyes. He never saw her like this. _She used to be so full of life, so full of care, so full of love…_ but now she was leaving this life… leaving him alone… to finish a job he never wanted to do without her.

She touched his face one last time. "_If we had only met sooner…_ we could have…"

…

"_No…_"

Her body had stopped.

There was nothing left of her. No breath, no pulse, no movement – no life. He didn't want to believe it, he didn't want to accept it, he didn't want to realize what had happened. He wanted to forget, he wanted it all to stop and tell him it was a lie. But there were no evidences for him to hold onto. His denials and wishes would be his only comfort from now on…

"…don't go… don't go please! **DON'T GO!**"

"Can you just get this over with?" whined a lime-green-haired man. Tied up and incapacitated on the floor, the only thing N could do was speak his thoughts and ideas – and he took advantage of those freedoms.

"**You heartless piece of trash!** You shut your mouth!" Ramie launched a strong kick against the callous man's head, knocking him unconscious.

Slowly letting his down his loved one's body onto the cold floor, Sato stood. Broken, but determined. "I'm ready…"

His intentions were made clear.

Sensing these thoughts, Quinn turned away from her responsibilities. "What are you… are you crazy? Stop!" She grabbed onto the ladder beside her and climbed down as fast as she could.

"Huh?" Ramie looked up at her in curiosity. "What's going on?"

"**You have to stop him!**" She jumped from the ladder and began running across the platform to reach the broken man. "**He's not going to use Arceus to reverse what has been done! He's going to–**"

Sato had been whispering, his voice too low for anyone else to hear. Inaudible to anyone but the god pokémon.

Eyes burning in energies of all elements, Arceus faced the one it had promised its service to.

"_**So it shall be…"**_ its voice echoed throughout the minds of everyone within its vicinity.

The ground shook; breaking and shattering all creations of man.

The room burned in white light; devouring all emotion and thought.

And reality began to dematerialize; threatening the fate of the universe.

"**No! How could you do this?**" Before the realm of their existence could be covered in the cloud of Arceus' power, Quinn cried out into the spreading blank nothingness. **"After everything we've fought for! **_**WHY?**_**"**

And in the emptiness, Sato answered…

"…_because we could all have done better…_"

* * *

><p>Ash… Bianca… Latias… Casey… Dawn… each opened their eyes slowly…<p>

Ash could still see nothing, but he knew he was no longer in that… _memory_.

The rest looked around their surroundings, completely alarmed at their change of scenery.

…

The visions were gone.

But the black marble continued its existence.

Ash held it in his hand, feeling it roll against his skin.

…

"What was that?" Casey finally asked.

"I think it was a memory." Bianca responded.

"But whose memory?" Dawn wondered.

Ash's hand gripped the marble tightly as he slowly began to understand.

"_It was my memory…"_

The four looked at him in confusion.

"_Everything started over…_ I was Sato."


	23. Chapter 23 Discoveries

Ash sat quietly on a chair left outside by a corner bakery.

The three girls and one pokémon that had accompanied were nowhere to be found… or rather, he was nowhere to be found around them. He had snuck off while the four were discussing what the vision of the past meant for their present and future.

Ash already knew what it meant.

"_Everything's going to repeat… just differently…"_ he whispered to himself.

At this point he yearned for Sabrina's or Angie's counsel. Their advice and way of wording thoughts often made him feel far calmer. They always had a talent of putting situations into a light that he could easily understand and decipher.

Their guidance was needed now more than ever.

_Because I don't know what to do…_

**SCRRRTTTCH**

The steel chair across from him was moved. Someone had approached him while he wasn't paying attention.

**Fmp. Scrtch.**

Whoever it was, they sat in front of him. And by the sound of them sitting, they had to be _light_.

Ash looked into their emotions to find out who they were.

_Casually concerned. Childish. Brash._

…_misses the old baseball cap._

"Hey Casey."

_Stunned._

"Are you sure you're blind?"

"I'm pretty sure."

He wanted to stand up and walk away. Whatever she had to say would have been _too simple or unknowing_ for his situation.

But he couldn't. …because it had taken him a lengthy amount of time just to find a lone spot to sit, and he had run into far too many lampposts on his way there. If he were to leave now, he would hardly be able to make a successful exit.

_Oh what the heck…_ he surrendered.

"So what do you want?" the words came out far colder than he_ intended_.

She didn't seem to mind.

"I should be asking you that. You left us without saying a word. Like a ninja or something. You sure you're n–"

"Yes I'm sure I'm not a ninja." He sighed.

"Or maybe that's what you want us to think."

…

He had no idea if she was joking. Casey's emotions were_ plain_ enough to understand, but _often too simple to really make sense of_. For all intents and purposes, she had made an_ apparently legitimate _statement.

"So…" She leaned towards him. "Whatcha' thinkin'?"

"Just… _stuff_." He refused going any further.

_Curveball._

Ash's eye twitched, noticing a _change_ in the girl's approach towards him.

"Hey now, I'm not trying to peek into your problems or even going to try to pretend that I understand what you're going through." She leaned back, her voice trailing as the wind buffered her words. "I just want to talk. Or maybe just listen. Whichever way you'd rather have it."

_Whichever way I'd rather have it? _

"Look, if I had it my way, I wouldn't be…"

_Hidden ball trick._

Ash's eye twitched again. _What's with this girl? Is she playing with me?_

"_Casey…_ What is it? What did you come here for?" He wasn't in the mood.

_Brushback pitch?_

"You're the one out here moping. Don't we have a team to be forming?"

Ash stood. "_You're right…_ let's just go."

He was about to leave, agreeing with the idea that it was better to save this conversation for someone who could handle it better.

He was about to… but his hand was pinned to the table.

_Wall climb._

"You're thinking it's going to all happen again, aren't you?"

Ash froze.

_How did she…_

_Fly. Out._ She smirked.

He sat back down.

"…_yes_…" Ash said in a tone similar to a child admitting they had lied.

"And it's because even though everything's changed since the restart, you're still heading to the same battle for Arceus, right?"

Ash gave her his _complete attention_.

She snickered. "You know, just because I don't talk or dress as fancy as the others – doesn't mean I ain't smart enough to figure out what's going on."

"How did you know what I was thinking about?" he finally asked.

"**Tch!** I'd be thinking the same thing if I were in your position!"

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I don't know what to do. _I just really don't…_"

"Well, what are your options?"

"My options?"

Casey folded her arms and tilted her head. "Well, if you're going to be repeating history or trying to change it, shouldn't you at least list off all the things you can do so you can see it clearly?"

"…my options…"

…

Ash went silent. His mind _lost within itself_.

Casey brought it back out with a small kick to his foot.

"Options like…" She thought for a second. "…what would happen if we went in there and did it all again? Are you going to make the same choice?"

"You mean, if Misty were to…"

"That wasn't Misty."

_Wait…_ "What?"

"That wasn't Misty." she repeated. "I mean, you did say Misty wasn't an Empathic, right?"

"Well no, she isn't…"

"And you did say that Anabel said that only certain people could be an Empathic, right?"

"She also said that if people change they could become Empathic."

"But think about it this way… you said that marble told you which items to pick when it came to choosing who would help you on your journey, right?"

"…yeah?"

"Did any of those items belong to Misty?"

"Well no, but that's because…"

"Now name the items you did get."

…

Ash reached into his bag and pulled out each item.

_Half Ribbon. Bent Spoon. Meteor Piece. Photo of Charizard. Newspaper Clipping._

"Now tell me which of those belong to who."

"The ribbon belongs to May…" He picked up each item and held it towards her. "This bent spoon meant Sabrina. This one's a meteor piece, it's Solana. The photo of Charizard is for Liza. This Newspaper Clipping is about Bill…"

Casey sorted out the items on her side. "…and counting the sketch you gave back, we've got Bianca and Latias."

"But I don't get how any of this really makes sen–"

"You had three friends in the past." she interrupted. "A fighter, a pokémon master, and a researcher. Count the Psychic, and you've got four."

Ash sat back,waiting for her to explain.

"_Hmmm_…" Casey studied each item carefully. "…all of these had to help you somehow."

**Scrtch. Scrtch.** She moved in her seat.

"…where did that past occur?"

"At the port."

"No, I meant – where did the past take place that we saw?"

Ash shrugged lightly. "Like I said, the port."

She looked at him _quizzically_.

He tried his best to explain, "Maybe the island moved, or maybe there was more land here before… but that incident definitely occurred here in Alto Mare… at _that _port."

"Well if…"

Casey began moving around the items.

Her mind was _completely busy_, making _assumptions_ that didn't make any sense to him.

"…how did you get to this island in the past, do you remember?"

Ash thought.

…

"On the back of pidgeots."

"A–HA!" **SCRRTTTTTCH!**

She stood up and grinned. _Pride._

"_What?_ Did you find something out?" Ash found himself literally sitting on the edge of his seat.

"Call me a detective, **because I just solved your case!**"

"Tell me! Tell me!" He was standing up now.

"The pidgeots that you used to get to the island! We don't have pidgeots, but we do have charizards!"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Don't you get it?"

"Not really." He laughed in embarrassment.

She sighed. "Let me point it out for you then."

Casey lifted each item, completely ignoring the fact that Ash couldn't see the gestures.

"The photograph for Liza. She provides the charizards to get to the destination we have to get to. The sketch was for Bianca and Latias. She led you to Alto Mare, for the memory – and she even knew what the marble's name was.

"The newspaper thing? Definitely Bill – there's your Researcher. Weird spoon. Sabrina – the Psychic Quinn. You don't have a Pokémon Master anywhere in your group, but you're going to get someone who can get the help of any pokémon… the meteorite, for the Pokémon Ranger Salon!"

"Solana." Ash corrected.

"Girafarig, Jirafarig." She waved away the comment. "_Anyways!_ So if you count on Maylene being the one to save you from your home invasion, you've got your Fighter!"

**Budududududududududu-**

She began drumming on the table.

"And last but not least, you've got the ribbon! May! The one you literally _JUST _taught to be an Empathic!"

Though Casey was feeling _high_ and _prideful_ in her successful dissection of the situation, Ash suddenly felt even more miserable and horrid.

**BOM.**

He slammed his face against the iron table. "_**YOU MEAN I JUST DOOMED MAY TO HER OWN DEATH?**_"

Casey's mood went sour as she realized what she had just done. "_Uh…_"

"_**AHHHHHH!**_" Ash's frustrated cry vibrated the table. "_**WHAT THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?**_"

The baseball fan found herself in an awkward situation.

_Whoops… I guess it was a shutout._

* * *

><p>Casey and Ash returned to the group. The young man had his arm around the girl, supported as his feet dragged, back slumped, and his pale face showed complete gloom.<p>

Dawn ran up to them and took his weight off Casey's shoulder. "_Ash!_ Are you okay?"

"He's… a bit depressed. Give him a minute." she suggested with shame.

Dawn glared at her. _What did you to him…_

"_Let's head to the meet up spot now…"_ Ash mumbled.

"_Um…_ You mean the spot in Pallet?" Casey asked with worry in her voice.

"We don't really know how to get there…" The Coordinator shared the same concern. "…we didn't print out a map for Pallet. We don't even know where in Pallet it is."

Bianca spoke up, "_Oh!_ I have a map to Pallet! Straight to Ash's house!"

Dawn stared at her with suspicion.

She returned the stare with a casual smile. "I always meant to visit Ash sometime."

"How do you even have his address?"

"Every Ash fan club girl has his address." She laughed with a blush.

Dawn's eye twitched. "_Fan… club_?"

"You're a part of that dorky fan club?" Casey teased.

"_Am I supposed to be hearing any of this?"_ Ash muttered while Dawn's shoulder-support suddenly turned into a headlock in her_ growing anger_.

"It isn't dorky." Bianca defended. "It's fun! Latias and I are the presidents of the Alto Mare subdivision."

"Subdivision?" The baseball fan held back a snort. "_Seriously?_ Are there even that many fans on this tiny isle to even support that? _No offense to Alto Mare_."

"_I can still hear what you guys are saying. You know that, right?"_ Ash waved.

"There are **fifty-four** members in this club alone, if you must know." the fan girl mentioned with pride. "That's more members than almost any main division club in Johto!"

Casey's jaw dropped. "**What? **How can there be that many fans on this tiny isle? You would think that many fans would get us swallowed in a sea of crazy girls!"

"_No one_ knows he's here yet." Bianca said playfully. "And by the time I update the site, we'll be _looonnng gone_." She grinned mischievously.

The arm around Ash tightened, causing him to suffocate.

"**Ash is mine! You back off!"**

…

_Did… I just say that out loud?_

Dawn's face turned completely red.

Bianca locked eyes with Dawn and smirked. "_If I recall correctly_, Ash _isn't _taken. Right, _Ash_?"

"_Not… really… the time to talk about this!"_ The young man struggled to free himself from the chokehold.

"I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle!" The Coordinator pulled out a poké ball with her free hand. She growled angrily. A part of her still couldn't believe what she was doing, but her instincts had taken over and she didn't want to stop it.

"Are we fighting for Ash?" Bianca smiled knowingly towards her pokémon.

Latias nodded, cracking her knuckles in Bianca's form.

"A one-on-one match sound good to you?" the fan girl suggested, accepting the challenge.

"One is all I'll need." Dawn smirked confidently.

The sun began to rise, highlighting the determined looks in the duelists' eyes.

…

**!**

A high pitched whistle got their attention.

It was Casey. She returned the whistle into one of her jacket's pockets.

"**Girls!** _End of the world occurring from a science experiment gone wrong_ ring any bells?"

Dawn grit her teeth… slowly relaxing. She freed the choking man from her grip.

Bianca and Latias turned away in disinterest. "We'll settle this later."

The Coordinator smiled impishly after a thought crossed her mind. "_Ohhh right_… we only brought **three **charizards with us. I don't think we can bring you back with us immediately. _You'll have to stay here_. We'll send back a charizard for you two."

"No need. Latias can fly by herself. I'll just…" Bianca locked eyes with Dawn again, a sly grin forming on her lips. "…_sit with Ash_ on his charizard. They should be able to hold two, _right_?"

The Coordinator's eyes burned with fury.

"**You two shut it!**" Casey grabbed Ash by the arm and dragged him down the road. "Bianca can have my charizard! I'm sitting with Ash so neither of you rip his fricken' head off!"

Dawn turned from her rival and followed. "_Fine…_"

"_Don't go too far now…_" Bianca strode off in a different direction. "I still need to get the map _**you**_ _**need**_."

* * *

><p>"Hurry up and get to the charizards!" Angie roared as she ducked back behind cover.<p>

The **explosion** tore through the walls.

Smoke, dust, and debris choked the air around them.

"Luxio! Give them a shock!"

The area cleared with a blast of wind. A fearow had knocked away the smoke with Gust.

Luxio flinched at the sight.

A line of Rockets armed with submachine guns readied their shots.

"No… **Luxio! GET OUT OF THERE!**"

It froze.

"**KILL THEM ALL!"** the order echoed.

Sabrina teleported next to the frightened Spark Pokémon and dug her fingers into its mane.

_**Alakazam! Once they reload, take them out!**_

_Yes, Master…_

The Psychic grunted, her purple and blue aura overtaking the luxio's body.

Muzzle flashes decorated the Psychic's sight.

Before the bullets could reach her, Luxio released a large barrier of psychic-fueled Electricity, **exploding** the rounds in mid-air.

"_Whoah…_" Angie gaped at the spectacle with disbelief.

Sabrina turned, her face slowly turning paler. "_**Get them out of here!**_"

Angie snapped out of the mesmerized gaze. She returned her attention to the prisoners.

Two young men, an old man, and a strange humanoid pokémon she had never seen before. Supposedly it was from the Unova region. All four prisoners had one thing in common: They were all Psychic.

"You heard the lady! Let's go!" The tomboy stood and ran for the door, pulling and pushing the prisoners with her.

She stuck her head out the doorway. The hot air outside burned her skin dry. And the island heat wasn't the only culprit.

Above, the early morning atmosphere raged in fire and steel as the Charicific Charizards faced off against a never-ending supply of skarmories. On the back of one of the charizards, a woman in red issued and coordinated attack and defense strategies.

"**You can do it Liza!"** Angie called out into the battle in the sky.

She returned her attention to her goal.

Several feet away, a lone crowd of five charizards waited impatiently by the shore. Their figures moved and roamed in the distance, obviously irritated at being prevented from joining the fight.

A photographer and sketch artist waved over to her in panicked anxiety.

"**Todd! Tracey!** Help me out over here! We've got an elderly!"

The two men ran towards her.

"Okay, you three." she regarded the two young men and the black-dressed pokémon. "You're running with me straight for the charizards. Tracey and Todd will carry your gramps with us."

She nodded to each of them, not caring whether they understood or not. "Let's go! **Let's go!**"

The group made a mad dash towards their destination, avoiding low-sweeps from the aggressive Armor Bird Pokémon.

"This was not what I had imagined a sneaking mission would look like!" Tracey yelled from behind.

"How was I supposed to know they had an alarm hidden underneath the alarm hidden underneath the alarm?" Angie yelled back. "It's like they were counting on us to disarm them!"

"Well that goes to show how important this facility is!" Todd laughed with an inappropriate sense of jubilation.

"**What the heck are you so chipper about?"** The tomboy turned back with an annoyed look.

"I got several pictures of this place!" the photographer boasted. "Not only are they good shots, but I'm more than sure I can get an award for an exposé piece!"

"At least we have one good thing going for us!" Angie applauded sarcastically.

The group slid to a halt as a large force of tentacruels charged through and blocked their path.

"**AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAA!**" Laughing with maniacal pride, a man with cyan spiked hair stood on the top of the largest tentacruel. His clothes marking him as an obvious commander of Team Rocket.

"You fools aren't getting out of here alive!" He turned and faced the growling charizards. "It doesn't matter how large or powerful these dragons are. Their little fires won't do much against my tsunami army!"

The man spun and posed. "My tsunamis! Make them feel your tide! **Aim for their tails!**"

"No!" Angie charged at them.

"**CHUUUUUUUUU!"**

A violent storm of electricity raced through the ranks of tentacruels, knocking out the behemoths one after the other. The Rocket Commander fainted with them.

"…_Pikachu?"_ Angie turned. Her eyes went wide.

Dressed in camouflage-green, the Cerulean City Gym Leader made her entrance from the foliage. "Glad to see you again, Angie. Wish it could be under better conditions."

"Well you were invited for a party." Angie smiled.

"Was a little busy at the time, sorry." Misty turned and faced an incoming group of Rockets. "Let's have a party here."

She pulled a poké ball from her belt. "I'll host."

* * *

><p>"Capture… on!"<p>

The capture disc launched and began rotating around the group of victreebel.

"_EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"_ One of the Flycatcher Pokémon slapped the disc back with a Vine Whip.

Solana backed away and clenched her teeth.

She looked around for any other pokémon.

A single gloom hid behind a tree.

"Let's try this again… **Capture on!**"

The teal-haired Pokémon Ranger aimed her Capture Styler and launched the capture disc again.

It grinded against the ground and began spinning circles around the Weed Pokémon.

The Grass-Poison Type continued to shake in fear, not moving away from its position.

Building up in speed, the capture disc continued its spin – its momentum forming a shining ring of light.

"_Come on… come on…_"

After the twentieth spin, the capture disc ran out of force and wobbled to a halt.

"No!"

"_Funny thing about the Forbidden Forest…"_ The woman in black stepped out into the open. "…the Grass Pokémon here don't like humans much."

Solana took another step back and eyed the area.

"Give it up. No pokémon will help you here. They'd rather attack humans than help them…"

A low growl rumbled in the air. Behind the woman, an absol of pure black approached.

"_Plusle…"_ the female Ranger whispered. _"Thunder Wave."_

"Pila…" the Cheering Pokémon took a step forward. **"PLAAAAA!"**

A wave of electricity flew towards the absol. The Dark Pokémon disappeared and reappeared a few feet away… the Thunder Wave vanishing when it had no current to follow.

The woman in black shook her head. "You know the other pokémon here don't seem to be putting up a fight against me… maybe you should follow their example."

"What do you want with them?" the Ranger demanded in an attempt to buy more time.

"_Them_?" The woman blinked. She peeked behind Solana, seeing a young, frightened couple huddled against a large tree. "Oh I don't want _anything_ from those two. It's you I want, Ranger."

"…so you'll let them go if I surrender?"

"Oh I _never _said that. They're witnesses… and I'm afraid my current mission prevents me from leaving behind any evidence."

Solana raised her Capture Styler again, readying her next shot.

"You really want to disappoint yourself again?" The woman laughed. She swung her hair away from her eyes in arrogance. "Haven't you figured out that no one here wants to help you? You're alone, little Ranger. And Rangers are quite useless by themselves."

"I wasn't intending to capture anything!" She launched the Capture Disc. It slammed against the villainous woman's face.

"**AAAAOOOWW!"**

"You two! Get out of here now!" Solana commanded the couple behind her.

They nodded and made a run for it… only to be blocked off by another dark absol.

To their left, two more dark absols appeared from the bushes.

Completely surrounded, the couple retreated back to the area behind the female Pokémon Ranger.

The woman moved her hands away from her face, which now had a large top-shaped indent. "You… you **pest!** You'll pay for that!"

"_**Payment in full!"**_ a voice shouted from behind her.

**Bac.**

A kick to the back of her knee caused the woman to drop to the floor.

"**Keep the change!"**

**KAK!**

Another kick launched against her head sent her body rolling against the grass.

Solana's eyes widened at the scene.

"**Watch out!"** she called out as the absols charged towards the new intruder.

"_Sparky! Thunderbolt!"_

A pikachu, with a unique patch of fur that kicked out from the top of its head, appeared from the trees. It released a torrent of electricity towards the four absols.

Each absol vanished from reality and rematerialized in different positions, growling and barking in fury.

"What in the –? **What are these things?**" A young man with auburn hair ran beside the pikachu, clearly alarmed by the Dark Pokémon.

"Distractions." the first intruder, a slim woman with pink hair and eyes, warned the male. "There's only one real one, and none of these are it! The real one's huge… and invisible until you harm it."

Shaking the dizziness out of her head, the woman in black slowly got to her feet.

"**Give it up, Domino!"** The pink-haired fighter ran towards her, flexing for her next strike.

The woman, now named Domino, pulled a black tulip from her belt and struck it towards the incoming combatant. "Charging in head-first again? You're too predictable, Maylene!"

"And you're too full of yourself!" Maylene ducked from the strike and sent an uppercut towards the Rocket Agent's chin.

She dodged beautifully and jumped back several paces.

"PIKAAAA-AAA**AAAA**_**A!**_"

An invisible entity pinned the heroic pikachu to the ground. Its weight felt as the Electric Type squealed louderfrom a crushing force.

"_**SPARKY!"**_

Two large Vine Whips lashed against the open air above the held Mouse Pokémon, making contactwith the unseen assailant.

"**RWWWAAAAAAAAAAARRRR!"**

In an instant, the four black-furred absols vanished in a mist of darkness – and an impressively large one took its place, moving away from Sparky in order to face its attacker.

A Venusaur stomped out from the forest, with a well-dressed Coordinator on its back.

"May!" Solana called out with a smile, finally glad to see someone she recognized.

"Well now, isn't this an unfair predicament?" Domino pouted. She surveyed the area around her, analyzing every possibility and opportunity in her mind. Finding her chance, she leapt into the gap between the Ranger and her guarded couple.

Pressing a sharp tulip against one of the frightened pair's neck, Domino found her hostage.

"_So, here's how we're going to play it…_" She smirked and pointed towards Solana. "The Ranger comes with me, **disarmed**, or this lovely duo becomes a depressed uno."

Solana frowned.

…

"_I'll go."_

"PILAAA! PLAA!" her plusle obviously upset at her partner's decision.

"No way! Let's go Sparky!"

Ritchie and Sparky tried charging, only to be prevented by the towering Dice – its cold, red eyes stiffening their muscles.

"Don't even try it." Domino laughed. "You're not exactly in the best position in this little deal."

The Coordinator folded her arms. "Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you…"

"Wha–"

All around them, the forest turned menacingly alive. Vines, leaves, and sprouts of all colors swirled and surrounded the Rocket girl and her ferocious pokémon.

A single Razor Leaf struck at her hand, forcing her to drop her deadly tulip weapon.

"**Ah!"** She grimaced, holding her bleeding hand.

"_What's going on?"_ Solana gazed at all the Grass Pokémon around her. Each of them having a look of determined anger towards the Rocket Agent. "I thought the pokémon here don't help humans…"

"It helps when your venusaur is the daughter of this forest's leader." May half-bragged.

"**Team Delta! Team Delta!"** Domino dove through the enclosing vines and avoided several razor-sharp leaves. **"I need evac **_**now!**_**"**

"Did I forget to mention that your friends are in similar predicaments?" Maylene smiled as she cracked her knuckles. "It's just you and me now, blondie!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, pinkie, but my Dice and I can't be bothered by _petty_ rumbles." The blond-haired woman launched several tulips from her pockets – spreading them out in a wide arc.

Pokémon and human alike dodged, ducked, blocked, or went behind cover to avoid the explosion-causing flower projectiles.

The projectiles that weren't caught before reaching a target, burst into flames on contact – spreading fire on wood and plant alike.

"The forest!" May gasped. "Glaceon!" **Click. Vacuum.**

Domino hopped onto the back of her pokémon. "Dice, let's leave. I'm sick of all this green."

With a paralyzing **roar**, the massive absol leapt through the flames and vanished from sight.

"**Get back here, you coward!"** Maylene prepared to give chase.

"Not now, Maylene! Help us take out the fire!"

The fighter dug her toes into the ground and grit her teeth.

_Next time, Domino. Count on it._

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you know where we're going?"<p>

"Y-Yeah… _give me a sec…_ I haven't been here in forever, you know…"

"Well hurry it up! You're looking like a crazy person…"

"Or I look like a blind man, and you look like a heartless caretaker."

"Yeah, thanks for that. Now hurry up."

Casey tapped her foot impatiently as Ash crawled on his hands and knees… feeling the dirt and grass in his hands.

"_What are you two doing over there?"_ Dawn called from the distance.

"I said you're on time-out, young lady!" Casey growled.

"_Aren't I little too old for this? … … … And aren't you too young to call me that?"_

"If I have to babysit you, you're being a baby! So until you grow up, I'm calling you whatever I want!"

"_So why am I on time-out?" _Bianca whined from the other end. _"She's the one that attacked first!"_

"You attacked back!" the peacekeeper scolded.

"_I was defending myself!"_

"You lit my hair on fire!"

"_My charizard missed!"_

"You. Lit. My. Hair. On. _Fire_."

"_Okay, I guess, but why isn't Latias in trouble? She joined in too!"_

The Eon Pokémon, in a human form that mimicked Bianca, crawled on the grass – watching Ash with playful curiosity.

"Far as I could tell, she was just following orders, just like the charizards." Casey crossed her arms. "No such thing as a bad pokémon, just bad trainers."

"Actually, I've met a few bad pokémon…" Ash raised his finger to add his opinion.

Casey kicked his arm lightly. "I didn't ask you. And besides, aren't you supposed to be searching for something? Less talky, more searchy."

"I'm not searching. I'm trying to get a feel for things again. I need to remember where I am exactly."

"I already told you where we were! Two houses over from your house!"

"And what does that mean to me? I don't know what two houses over looks like right now. I just know what things feel like." Ash stood, patting off the grass from his jeans.

Latias copied him, despite no grass sticking to her illusionary legs.

"So you're done?" The baseball fan changed posture.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure where we are now."

"Pretty sure?"

"Yeah. This way!" The Empathic began running towards a large group of trees.

"Wait up! You know where you're going?"

"_Pretty sure!"_

She sighed. "Dawn! Bianca! Ben, Stacy, whatever-your-name-is charizard! **It's time to go!**"

"_Finally!"_ The Alto Mare native stretched and chased after the young man. "Wait for me, Ash!"

Dawn turned and began racing towards Bianca.

Casey blocked her way and gave her a strict glare. "**No. Fighting.** You hear?"

The Coordinator rolled her eyes. "Let's just go already."

"Don't make me sick Latias on you." Casey warned.

Latias made an exaggerated _'_chomping' face towards Dawn.

"Fine. Fine. I'll _'behave'_." Dawn grumbled. "But I don't want Bianca hanging all over Ash."

Casey shrugged and turned. "Last I remember, **she's** the fan girl, and you **aren't** dating him."

"Still. If I see her on him, I won't be responsible for my actions."

"You're right. **Latias **will be responsible for your actions."

The pokémon smiled innocently and followed after Ash and Bianca.

Dawn quietly grumbled to herself and trailed after them.

* * *

><p>The last Team Rocket member smashed into a tree, a Flash Cannon launching him off his feet.<p>

He fainted immediately.

Misty gave a thumbs-up to her starmie.

"_Looks like that's the last of them."_ Tracey exhaled in relief.

"Other than the skarmories…" Todd pointed out as he set the old man next to one of the Charicific Charizards.

Misty nodded to Pikachu and signaled several orders for him, pointing to the Armor Bird Pokémon as the targets. She gave similar commands to her starmie, staryu, and gyarados, though with slight variations.

Angie studied the gestures carefully, hoping to catch the meaning behind them.

_If I could teach that to Luxio, we'd be invincible…_

…

"_Wait…_ Luxio!"

The gold-eyed girl turned towards the facility, complete worry in her expression as she realized how long it had been since she last saw her pokémon… and the situation she had left him in.

An **explosion** bent the large metal gates of the compound and cracked the cement.

"Luxio!** NO!**"

**-JSHIINNNN-**

Alakazam teleported beside the group, with a pale-white Sabrina and a fainted Luxio…

Angie immediately wrapped her arms around her pokémon, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. **"LUXIO!"** she sniffled. _"I thought I lost you…"_

Misty ran directly to the fellow Gym Leader. "Sabrina! Are you alright?"

"_Misty!"_ the Psychic's voice rasped in surprise. _"N-No time… get on the charizards and retreat."_

"Retreat?"

"_**Retreat."**_ she repeated with a forced command.

Angie looked up to her in panic. "What about Anabel?"

A bright flash of light.

An energy of chaotic colors burned through the walls of the building.

Every living creature the colors touched, turned mad.

Several skarmories and a single charizard spun out of control towards the ground after being affected… their eyes rolled to the back of their head as they** r**oared, bit, screamed, andbabbled in insanity.

The ground shook as their bodies crashed.

"_Wh-What the heck was that?"_ Angie returned her luxio to its poké ball and began backing towards the charizards, needing no more reason for their retreat.

A **shriek** of _unimaginable pain_ tore through the sounds in the air, silencing everything while it echoed.

Staggering from the burning building, a frightening woman glowing in dark auras approached.

"_That…"_ Sabrina stood and formed a psychic shield around her comrades. _"…was Anabel."_

She turned towards the humans and pokémon under her protection.

"_**GET TO THE CHARIZARDS! RETREAT!"**_


	24. Chapter 24 Connections

"You two take care! And be sure to take the **LONG **way around next time!" Solana waved at the young couple as they bowed again in thankfulness.

They smiled and skipped down the road in absolute bliss.

…

"_Wow…_" Maylene watched the pair disappear in the distance. "I think if I was in a relationship like that, I'd probably jump off a cliff."

"**MAYLENE!**" May slapped the fighter's arm, shocked at her comment.

Solana laughed. "To each their own!"

The Pokémon Ranger turned towards the trio, penta if counting Sparky and Venusaur, and offered her hand in greeting. "The name's Solana."

Each shook.

"Maylene. Veilstone City Gym Leader."

"Ritchie. Trainer from Frodomar City."

"And May. Coordinator."

Solana smiled at May. "I know, we met. But… A Gym Leader? From Veilstone? Isn't that in Sinnoh?"

"Indeed it is!"

"And Frodomar? I'm not sure I'm familiar with it."

"It's in the Kanto region."

Solana **whistled**, impressed. "_Sinnoh… Kanto…_ Wow! I know why May's here in Hoenn – she's competing this season. But what is a Gym Leader all the way from Sinnoh and a Trainer all the way from Kanto doing out here?"

"_Actually,_ I'm not competing for this season anymore…" May said with a blush of slight embarrassment.

The Ranger looked at her with concern. "_Did something happen?_"

"That's actually what we came here to talk to you about." Maylene took a step forward.

"Hold on, before we go any further…" Solana bowed deeply. Her plusle bowed with her. "I _must_ thank you for your help. If it weren't for you, I would have never escaped – much less finished my mission."

The group bowed back instinctively.

Solana scratched her head, slightly ashamed of herself. "It was a rookie mistake for me to start a rescue mission in an area I was unfamiliar with. You would think a veteran Ranger like me would know something as important as the Forbidden Forest pokémon's distaste of humans.

"If there's anything you need help in, I definitely owe you the favor."

The pink-haired fighter studied the woman for a moment, critiquing her abilities for their mission.

…

She eventually dropped the thought, trusting Ash's instinct in gathering a team.

"We actually have a big favor to ask from you. And it has a long story. You got time for that?" Maylene mentioned casually.

"_Hm…_" Solana pulled out her pokédev and began dialing buttons. "Let me report in the successful rescue first…"

* * *

><p>Latias dropped her visual disguise and flew into the opening.<p>

Dawn walked in slowly, her breath taken away.

Refusing herself from being distracted by any feelings of fascination, Bianca focused on sketching the scene before her.

Casey's jog slowed, her attention immediately caught by…

"TIRE SWING!"

She ran straight for it.

Ash tackled her to the floor.

"Wh-What the heck are you doing?" She struggled to get him off. Her emotions completely _offended_ by his intrusion of her personal space.

Ash didn't listen. He clung on tightly. "No you don't!"

"Get off m–!"

The tire spun towards the girl. An _ice cold wind_ ran through her body.

With barely an effort, she was able to knock Ash off herself and back away in seconds.

"_Wh-What was that?"_

The young man rubbed his rib, where Casey's elbow jabbed in her panic. "It's haunted."

"_H-H-Haunted?"_ Casey went pale.

He nodded.

"_Ash, this place…"_ Completely unaware of the recent tussle, Dawn turned towards her crush – her eyes sparkling with pure _infatuation_ for him.

"…_it's gorgeous…"_ Bianca finished with a soft whisper – continuing her draft of the view.

Latias flew and spun amongst the sanctuary's canopy of branches and leaves. Her emotions _agreed_ with the others as she continued her excited tour of the area.

Ash blushed. "Th-Thanks."

"_What is this place…"_ the Coordinator's words continued sounding as if she was floating in a dream world.

"And what the heck are these things?" Casey opened the toolbox and began rummaging through the items.

Ash slammed the box shut, pinching the snooping girl's fingers in the process.

"**YOW!"**

"These _things_…" he explained as he moved the toolbox elsewhere. "…aren't for _you _to touch."

"So what am I supposed to do in the meantime?" she sighed as she found a spot to lie down. "Who knows _how long_ we have to wait until everyone gets here… I'm going to go insane from boredom!"

Ash felt through his backpack. "If you consider how far Hoenn is from here… I'd say it'd take them half a day's travel just to fly there. For all we know, it could take them a day or three to get here."

"**THREE DAYS?"**

"…yep. _Ah! Here it is._"

Finding what he was looking for, he tossed it in Casey's direction.

She picked it up.

"A book? You can read?"

"**No.** I can't read." he stated with irritation. "Not_ anymore_, at least. I just bought it since I lost my original copy… It's a good book either way."

Casey stared at the book's cover with mocking interest.

"… _Commander of Wartortles_?"

* * *

><p>The charizards began their retreat. Liza coordinated them into a straight line, baiting the skarmories to swarm around them… forcing them to act as their shield against the deadly waves of energy that continuously launched at them.<p>

Below, a single charizard remained.

"_**Ride as my passenger, Angie!"**_ Sabrina commanded, impatiently reading her mind.

There was no need to read, as she spoke her thoughts immediately.

"No! I have to get Anabel!"

"_**She's lost, child! We must leave her!"**_

"I made a promise to Ash that I'd take care of her! And either you're going to help me do it, or you pick me up in an hour!"

…

Angie's body refused to move.

"_Wh-What the…?"_

Her body felt _stiff. Odd. And no longer hers_.

Her limbs shook as they began to move without her permission.

Slowly, she was forced to walk towards the charizard.

Tears fell from her eyes. Angie clenched her teeth and growled – locking rebellious eyes with Sabrina's cold glare. "_You_… You really want to do that?" She forced authority back to her mouth.

The Psychic's control faltered, feeling the tomboy's_ will _fighting her out.

"_You know…_ why I'm doing this!"

Sabrina's eye twitched. Her psychic strings were weakened drastically from her previous fights… they began to snap one by one.

"_**Ash would rather have you than to lose both you and Anabel!"**_ She did her best to speak reason into the stubborn girl.

"_Then don't…_ let them take me! Help me, **Sabrina!**" Angie barked back, shoving the weakening psychic power away.

Taking a step forward, Angie stood. _Defiant_ and _willful_. Refusing to leave until she got an answer. Almost _daring_ the Psychic to try again.

…

Sabrina stared angrily at her, showing annoyance and frustration with her disobedience.

Closing her eyes and exhaling, Sabrina conceded. She leapt from the charizard's back and landed with a small stumble. "_**Lead the way and be quick.**_"

"Sabrina…"

"_**I said be quick!"**_

Angie turned and began sprinting back towards the burning facility.

The Psychic followed closely behind.

Above, the sky still raged with steel and heated light. Skarmories dropped left and right as they were overloaded into silence by the chaotic shades that passed through them.

The two's run was mostly uninterrupted… until their objective came into view.

A few feet away, a swirl of frenzied colors rocketed towards them.

Sabrina flexed her mind, letting loose a short wave of psychic energy – knocking away the attack in a flash of conflicting powers.

Another blast spiraled towards them.

The Psychic countered it with another thought.

Several more bursts continued pummeling against her mental defenses, weakening her with each clash.

Focused with her target, the tomboy continued her sprint, silently _thanking_ Sabrina as another wave of burning lights ricocheted away from her direction.

Muffled by the wind, Angie heard violent coughing from behind.

She had no time to turn. "Sabrina? Are you okay?"

"I am fine!_** Continue!**_"

The Psychic spat the blood from her mouth and kept her pace.

Another attack. Repelled again.

They were getting close.

Anabel turned towards them.

"Looks like we've got her attention!" The tomboy forced her legs to run faster.

**-SKREEEEEEEEEECH-**

Diving low, a team of swift skarmories prepared to slice into them from above.

Angie didn't halt, though she did panic. "S-Sabrina? **I-Incoming!**"

A geyser of water flushed them of their momentum.

Before the skarmories could react, they were finished by a large bolt of lightning.

Angie gave a thumbs-up to her rescuers.

On the back of a charizard, Misty, Starmie, and Pikachu flew in for support.

"_Get Anabel back!"_ Misty yelled overhead.

"What do you think we're doing?" the tomboy shouted back with a smile.

Just a few feet away, Anabel stood motionless – facing their direction.

The corrupted Empathic silently calculated the two in front of her, her eyes and mouth emotionless.

Sabrina read her_ next move_.

A flash of red released all her Psychic Pokémon from their poké balls.

"Angie! You've got once chance! _**Do it now!**_"

The Psychics let loose all their power.

A devastating torrent of purple and blue swallowed the tomboy's body entirely… shattering the massive spear of dark _emotions_ that Anabel launched towards her.

Her attack broken, the tainted Empathic took a step back, her face still showing no emotion.

With a grunt, Angie leapt out of the psychic storm, her face showing complete determination.

"**ANABEL!"**

Her fist landed against her friend's face, the strike knocking her off balance.

Anabel locked eyes, refusing to fall.

Angie followed with three more reckless punches, each blow cracking her knuckles.

Still, she stood.

The tomboy finished it as she slammed her forehead against Anabel's.

Finally crumpling to the physical onslaught, the Empathic fell to the floor. Her knees buckled, her palms scraped against the blackened cement, and a small gasp left her lips.

Defeated.

…

…

Sabrina limped towards the beaten foe, _studying_ her mind with caution.

Her thoughts were _blank_. But a mental _trace_ was sensed lower down: A steel bracelet wrapped around the young woman's wrist.

_**Mind control…**_ The Psychic sneered. Her memories recalling these devices used on a group of young Psychics she rescued from Team Rocket years before. It was the only obstacle that kept Anabel aggressive towards them.

She destroyed the device with a _**strained thought**_.

A short distance away, a grunt of disappointment was barely heard, muffled by a thin barrier. _**Coming from above.**_

Sabrina traced the sound…

"_Giovanni…"_ she hissed.

The man's silhouette disappeared into the darkness of one of the windows.

_**Alakazam, follow–**_

Another **explosion **overtook the entire floor the notorious Gym Leader had vanished within.

_**Gone.**_ The psyche trace ended with the room's destruction.

…

Angie bent down and picked up the blank-eyed Empathic.

"_Come on, Anne…"_ the tomboy whispered to her friend. _"…Ash needs you."_

The young lilac-eyed woman blinked softly and focused her eyes towards Angie. _"Ash…?"_

"_Yeah… _he's worried sick about you, you dummy…" She sniffed away a tear. "_And I guess I was too._"

"_Ash…" _Anabel fainted.

Her mind finally at rest…

* * *

><p>"So Ash is leading this little group?" Solana moved a branch aside.<p>

"Well, it's not really _little_. We just look small because we're split up." Ritchie held onto Sparky as he hopped over a large root that jutted from the ground.

"You should've seen it when we first started." May took off her bandana as it got caught on another tree. "There were only five of us."

"Three, actually." Maylene corrected as she led the way through the forest. "We met up with May and Sabrina in Saffron. Before that it was just me, Ash, and Angie."

"I see." The Ranger watched her plusle run across the forest floor, smiling as it befriended the wild pokémon in the area. "I find it slightly humorous that he's the one leading us."

"Yeah, I didn't really think he was leader material. I used to lead this group originally." the fighter mentioned. "Then Sabrina took over. And then somewhere along the way, Sabrina made him leader."

"What's wrong with Ash as a leader?" May placed her bandana into her pocket and leapt over a bush. "I think he's doing a good job with the team."

"Well no _no_." Solana gave a small laugh of embarrassment. "That's not what I meant. I just think it's funny that we're all being led by… _well…_ someone blind."

"Consider us the blind being led by the blind." Ritchie snickered. "Because honestly, we probably know less of what's going on compared to what Ash and Sabrina know."

"Honestly, I wish those two weren't so secretive. It's not like all of us have Empathic-Telepathy stuff." Maylene grumbled. "In fact, I think other than Anabel and Misty; no one could really talk to them like that. Talk about exclusive club."

"W-Well… _actually_…" The Coordinator stumbled a bit as her shoelace caught on the bark of a tree. "I can actually…_ er…_ speak with Empathy. _N-Now, that is._"

Maylene stopped in her tracks and turned. "**What?** Since when?"

May suddenly felt as if a large spotlight was placed on her. "_U-Uhm…_ After Ash and I went ahead. Into th-the Rocket Tunnel. H-He taught me on our way to Charicific Valley." Her face turned red, recalling the private moments they shared with one another.

The fighter turned away and shrugged. "Us normals are getting outnumbered every day."

"Don't you have a thing that makes you like an anti-Empathy-Psychic-_thing_?" the Coordinator countered. "That doesn't exactly make you a normal."

"_Wellll…_ I don't use it to hold private conversations."

"_Maylene?"_ a voice called out ahead of them.

"Looks like we're here!" Maylene ran ahead. "Don't drop your jaws, everyone!"

"Drop our jaws?" Solana went into a quick jog. "What does that mea–" Her jaw dropped.

Ritchie stopped in his tracks and let his pikachu onto the ground.

Sparky and Plusle ran into the opening together.

May shuffled into the area hesitantly. Her eyes wide with fascination and wonder.

"_What… is this place?"_

"Welcome to Ash's Sanctuary!" Maylene spread her arms wide and welcomed her teammates to their new headquarters.

* * *

><p>"Nice to see you again, Ash." Solana shook his hand. "And these are?"<p>

Ash stepped aside and _sensed _the area around him. He pointed above him. "This one's Latias."

The red and white pokémon blurred into human form. Falling, she wrapped her arms around Ash and landed softly.

"_Wow!_" The Ranger stepped in close and poked at the light-shifting pokémon. "It's like an advanced form of a ditto! I've _never_ seen a pokémon fully replicate a human like this!"

"_Not exactly."_ a voice said behind her. _"She's not fully physical in those forms, so she wouldn't be able to copy attacks or voices. She can only mimic what objects, people and pokémon look like… not actually become them."_

Solana turned and found a girl who seemed to be a mirror image of Latias, or rather, vice versa.

"That and she only seems to copy me. The name's Bianca." The Alto Mare native waved slightly, not moving from her crouched position. She looked back down to her sketchpad and continued scribbling into them with colored pencils. "I'd shake your hand, but my hands are a bit of a mess right now. Nice to meet you…"

"Solana." The Ranger bowed. "Pokémon Ranger."

"A pleasure to meet you." She made a slight bow in return.

"And this is Casey." Ash continued the introductions.

"Yo." The baseball enthusiast didn't bother looking up, her attention swallowed up by the book she was reading. Despite nearly two days having passed since her arrival in the sanctuary, she still hadn't completed the book… due to her rather slow reading skills.

"Nice to meet you." The Ranger still continued pleasantries.

"_Mm_." Casey still didn't bother. She only had a few hours of sunlight left, and she wasn't going to waste it.

"And I'm Dawn! Remember me?" The blue-haired Coordinator grinned and bowed.

"Of course I remember! Nice to see you again!" Solana offered a small side-hug to reward the excited greeting. "So is this our team? Or are we waiting for someone?"

Ritchie, Maylene, and May gave their greetings to the two newest members of Ash's group.

Latias responded with awkward human gestures of _'hello'_s… unsure whether a handshake, hug, high-five, bow, or wave was the proper action to give.

Bianca simply nodded and smiled, too caught up in her work to move.

"Actually no." Dawn answered for the group. "We're still waiting for –"

Ash's head turned immediately to his left. His eyes narrowed as if he tried to spot an object in the distance.

…

Dawn looked in the same direction, only to find thick trees.

"_Ash?_ … Is something wrong?"

He whispered something inaudible.

The Coordinator tilted her head in curiosity.

The other Coordinator, May, eyed the trees as well. She hadn't heard nor seen Ash's reactions, but she shared the same ability to _notice_ the _importance_ of the particular area.

Emerging from the deep green woods, a well-known tomboy carried a familiar figure on her back.

"_Hey guys. Don't you wish they made poké balls for humans? They're so darn heavy."_

"Angie!" May was about to run towards the obviously injured girl, but stopped in her tracks. "Is_… is that_…"

Angie slowly let down her cargo.

"**ANNY!"** Ash nearly tripped over himself as he ran for the fainted Empathic.

The two Coordinators and the Alto Mare twins watched in bittersweet happiness as the man of their dreams wrapped his arms around his long-lost friend.

Angie leaned against a tree and let out a long sigh. Absolutely relieved that she hadn't failed in her promise.

Tears ran down Ash's eyes as he held Anabel tightly to his chest.

"_Those two must be close."_ Solana stood next to Angie, offering her hand in greeting. "Solana."

"Angie." the tomboy responded with a shake. "…and honestly, _I didn't think they were that close_."

Her eyes watered in a hint of sadness. "I actually thought he didn't really care for her. At least, not _that_ much. I mean… _he always wanted to get away from her…_"

The Ranger remained beside her awkwardly, feeling as if she had entered the middle of a dramatic storylineshe had no reason to be in.

…

"_Careful, you might break her."_ a voice commented from the woods.

Misty appeared, with a completely drained Sabrina leaning against her and a tired Pikachu sleeping on her head.

Ash placed Anabel's unconscious body lightly on the flowered ground. "_M… Misty?_"

She smiled. "Long time no see, huh?"

Sabrina pulled herself away and stumbled a few steps before balancing herself against a tree.

"Sabrina?" Misty looked at her with concern. "Is something wrong?"

The Psychic simply nudged her head and said, "You should be worried for yourself."

Misty looked towards the direction of the nudge, only to find herself being lifted off the ground.

Ash had picked her up and spun her. **"MISTY! PIKACHU!"**

Her face turned pink and her thoughts frazzled into confusion. This wasn't the response she was expecting. It certainly was more than she had wanted, but a near impossible expectation.

"_A-Ash?_ A-Are you feeling okay?" She started getting dizzy.

Her best friend dropped her to the floor and pinned her down.

Pikachu had hopped off her and latched back onto Ash's shoulder, wrapping his entire body around his neck. The Electric Mouse Pokémonhowledand wailed in _exhausted elation_, _never _wanting to let go of his human extension.

Completely unaware of the risqué position he put the girl in, Ash clenched his teeth as his tears fell onto Misty's face. "I… _thought…_ I thought I lost the three of you!"

His greatest _fears_… his greatest _insecurities_… his greatest _burdens_ of the entire journey, were finally _relieved_.

"_Ash…"_

She gazed at him. His figure that she had become so familiar with… suddenly seemed entirely _different_. He looked far more _aware_ of his surroundings… far more _mature_… far more_ caring_…

The twilight sky, peeking through the warm-colored leaves that hung above them, outlined Ash in a beautiful glow. His normally soft features now looking sharp and strong. His memorable features becoming far more alien the longer she looked at him. And his childish features seeming to vanish as she saw him in a new light.

Ash had grown up.

_Hopefully I have too…_ Her heart would cherish this moment forever.

_You have…_

She _gasped_. It had been so long since she's heard his Empathic voice; she had almost forgotten what it had felt like.

_Thank you…_

Misty turned away, a feeling of _shame _filling her.

_You should thank Angie. She's the one who saved her._

Ash brushed his hand against her cheek. _Thank you for being okay… this wouldn't have been worth it without you, Maya…_

Misty's eyes widened. Her heart stopped.

_What… did you call me?_

He shook his head, _clearing _his thoughts.

_I… I'm sorry._

He rolled off her, avoiding her as his _attention moved_ to Anabel's savior. Pikachu went with him, unwilling to leave his side.

…

Misty didn't move.

She had felt something that she didn't expect from being mistaken for another woman.

The name he had given her felt… _right_.


	25. Chapter 25 Burdens

Like the final pieces of the puzzle fitting, the team was finally complete.

The seven from Kanto, the three from Johto, the two from Hoenn, and the three from Sinnoh – and their respective pokémon, all gathered loosely within the secret sanctuary near Pallet Town. Three lamplights acting as their campfires.

Ritchie, the blue-eyed Trainer from Frodomar City – Kanto region, gathered the data of everyone else's pokémon with his pokédex – excited with every new information.

Tracey, the traveling sketch-artist currently based in Pallet Town – Kanto region, shared drawings and tips with the young woman that eagerly went through his notebook.

Bianca, the fellow sketch-artist from Alto Mare – Johto region, shuffled through her scraps of paper in the hopes of finding one that could impress the veteran artist beside her.

Casey, the baseball enthusiast from New Bark Town – Johto region, continued reading the book that was lent to her – her mind completely entranced by the epic battle occurring within its pages.

Angie, the tomboy from the Solaceon Town Day Care Center – Sinnoh region, read over Casey's shoulder – waiting for a chance to ask for the girl's opinion of the book she had grown up with.

Solana, the traveling Pokémon Ranger from the Fiore region – now currently based in the Hoenn region, struck another embarrassing pose with her plusle, much to the delight of her photographer.

Todd, the professional photographer from the Kanto region, snapped several shots of the famous Pokémon Ranger. He happily anticipated the day when he could publish all the photos he had earned in this venture.

May, the now Empathic Coordinator from Petalburg City – Hoenn region, chatted awkwardly with her old friend – trying her best to hide any personal stories she had with their crush.

Misty, the Gym Leader of Cerulean City – Kanto region, conversed with uncomfortable casualness – wondering what her friend was hiding from her.

Slightly away from the rest, Liza, the guardian of the Charicific Valley – Johto region, prepared an empty grave for her fallen charizards. Her remaining charizards helped and mourned with her.

Dawn, the talented Coordinator from Twinleaf Town – Sinnoh region, eavesdropped a private meeting between four members hidden deeper in the woods.

The four that attended the concealed conference were Pokémon Trainer Ash of Pallet Town – Kanto region, Psychic Gym Leader Sabrina of Saffron City Gym – Kanto region, Fighting Gym Leader Maylene of Veilstone City Gym – Sinnoh region, and Salon Maiden Anabel, Frontier Brain of the Kanto region Battle Tower.

…

"I can't sense her." Ash sighed and scratched his chin. "I can sense her, but it's not… _in_ her. It's _around_ her." he tried his best to explain it.

Anabel, her face still expressionless, nodded. "I feel the same way… I can't feel anything inside me. But I know it's still there. Just not inside." She leaned against Ash, hoping the closeness would help her feel again.

…

Nothing.

Sabrina studied Anabel's thoughts carefully, trying to solve the mystery that had bothered them since the Empathic Trainer's rescue.

Her eyes squinted, as lapses of _tortured memories_ flashed from Anabel's mind.

"They blocked it." Maylene interrupted the psychic investigation. "And they succeeded."

The three turned towards her.

"Team Rocket…" the fighter continued. "…This is similar to the training manuals I read. The ones that I learned how to make myself blank with. But this is a different kind."

She sighed and looked up into the night sky, the faraway lamplights giving the leaves above an orange reflection. _This place is beautiful…_ she thought to herself, ashamed that such dark confessions would ruin the scenery.

"…I saw some prototype manuals on it… some kind of experiment for the researchers. They can block out someone's own thoughts, emotions, or aura from themselves."

Sabrina's slightly weakened state suddenly went _alive_ in reaction to this new information. "Team Rocket can do this? _**Why have you not mentioned this before?**_"

"Because it was just an experiment… they didn't get very far with it." Maylene shrugged. "Those they blocked out thoughts, supposedly only had temporary forms of amnesia – so that test proved too minimal in effectiveness to be of any use. The ones that blocked out auras, made no immediate effects, but would eventually give random side-effects in the long run – so that test proved to be too random to be anything conclusive. But the one with emotions…"

The fighter paused. She stared at Anabel… watching her emotionless eyes, feeling absolute pity for her.

"…it would normally drive a person insane when their emotions were locked out." she finished. "But to an Empathic? I can only assume they were able to successfully do it without that side-effect."

Ash's hand gripped onto Anabel's ruined coat. "_What…_ What in the world would they gain from that experiment?"

"A weapon." Sabrina answered.

"A weapon?"

The Psychic nodded and explained, "During the battle on the isle, Anabel was able to use her Empathy as a projectile weapon. I'm no expert on Empathy, but I doubt it ever had that capability on its own."

"We don't have that capability. We can only read emotions and intentions." the Empathic Trainer supported. "Other than that, we can send emotion-fueled shouts and commands… but nothing actually physical."

Ash could feel _sadness_ from her, but not from within her. Inside, she felt empty. Hollow.

Sabrina flexed her mind and produced a small orb of purple and blue energy. "When Psychics and Aura users focus their power, they can produce physical manifestations of their thoughts or energies. But to constantly use them drains us physically. This is because the energy directly comes from within us. It uses our mental or life force to fuel itself…

"In essence, we are extensions of our powers, and not vice versa."

She stood and faced Ash and Anabel. "I would assume you Empathics have this ability as well… however, due to the nature of emotions, it cannot be concentrated into physical form. Physical energy is solid, similar to rocks or other obviously physical objects. Psychic energy is sharp yet fluid, similar to water. Aura energy is attached yet free, similar to fire. Emotional energy, on the other hand, is more akin to wind – soft yet intangible.

"You can hold rocks, you can push water, you can transfer fire, but you cannot control the wind. You can only block it, redirect it, or suffocate it. It is not yours to control or hold."

"Lovely poem, but what does that mean?" Maylene leaned back and sighed. Metaphors were not her specialty.

"When wind is prevented or funneled, it becomes erratic." Sabrina completed the allegory. "If Anabel's emotions are not allowed to go through her, she cannot be drained from her Empathy like Psychics and Aura users become when they use their powers – and as a side-effect, it will also cause the Empathy to fall out of her control. All things need energy and must release energy, and if that energy is not taken or given, the object without energy will release energy into and sap energy from others to fuel and spend itself."

"That's like the anti-thing I learned!" Maylene sat up, finally interested now that she understood. "The technique I learned creates an empty power that eats up other energies!"

"Except yours can never be satisfied." the Psychic warned. "Anabel's Empathy can be. It releases itself physically and overloads itself into those who can hold emotions. Energy taken and emotions given, at the cost of the victim's emotional sanity."

Maylene **whistled**, impressed. "That's deadly." _How in the world does this lady figure out this stuff?_

"As we speak, every emotion Anabel is feeling is feeding off Ash's energy."

Maylene and Anabel turned towards Ash.

Tears were flowing down his eyes, he didn't notice them.

Inside, he felt _angry, upset, depressed, panicked_, and _absolutely confused_. He had thought they were his own feelings… but Sabrina's explanation had revealed to him otherwise.

_These are Anabel's emotions…_

He faced her. Her _worried_ emotions transferring to him and through him.

"**How do I stop this? How do I fix me?**" the Frontier Brain's volume escalated, but no emotional tone came from them.

Ash felt her _desperation_.

In a flicker of light, a large ring of energy shot out from the lilac-haired girl.

Everyone ducked out of the attack's path. The ring exploded into a sparkle of colors as they collided with the trees.

"_I can't… feel… anything…"_ the young man whispered. "_I can't_… FEEL ANY-"

His scream was cut short by Maylene's hand.

She held him close as he continued screaming into her.

The fighter glared _angrily_ towards Anabel. "**Stop it! You're driving him insane!**"

Sabrina was ready to silence the female Empathic's emotions by attacking her mind… but the _bond_ had made her take a different approach.

Her hand rested on Anabel's shoulder. "_It's alright. We'll find a way to fix you…_"

Ash slowed his breathing and began sobbing. "_I wish I could feel something…_"

…

Dawn quietly backed away and turned…

"_Ow!"_

Only to bump heads with another person.

"_Watch where you're going!"_ May hissed as she rubbed her forehead.

"_May? Misty?"_ Dawn nearly shouted in surprise. _"Wh-What are you two doing here?"_

"_Misty?"_ May tilted her head and turned around.

She nearly yelped at the sight of the orange-haired Gym Leader standing behind her.

"_Wh-What are you doing here?"_

Misty sighed at their shocked reactions. "_Seriously_? Why else would I be here?"

The three girls looked down… each one feeling the heavy weight of depression, as none of them could do anything to improve the situation that had befallen Anabel. _Powerless…_

"**Ahem!**"

The three girls jumped back, frightened by the sound.

It was Maylene.

She stood with a hand on her hip and _annoyance_ in her eyes. "What the heck are you four doing _eavesdropping_ on a _**private**_ meeting?"

"Four?" May looked around in confusion.

"**Angie!** Get down here! I know you're up there!"

**Rustle.**

Angie's head popped out from the leaves above. "How the heck did you find me?"

"Because Sabrina's a **Psychic**, you idiots!" Maylene tapped her foot inirritation. She turned towards May. "You know, for an Empathic, you sure are terrible at sensing people."

Dawn, Misty, and Angie glared at May. **"EMPATHIC?"**

May didn't _feel _cornered, she was _literally _cornered.

She waved her hands apologetically and gave a nervous laugh. "I – I was going to tell you guys _l-later_…"

"When did you become an Empathic?" Angie growled from above. "Us normal folks are seriously getting outnumbered!"

"That's exactly what I said!" Maylene laughed.

Her face turned serious soon after. "No time for stories or jokes. May, we need you."

The Empathic Coordinator pointed at herself. "_M-Me_?"

"Seeing that I'm the only other May here, and I don't think I'd be referring to myself, yes. _Yes_, I was referring to you May, May." The fighter grabbed her by the wrist and began walking. "Oh, and we also need Misty and Angie. So come on over."

"Wh-What about me?" Dawn was about to cry. She felt Ash getting _further and further_ away again. His life becoming far too involved with others to need her anymore.

_No… don't go without me… I need you Ash…_

The four girls were wandering away into the darkness… slowly leaving Dawn by herself.

She had never felt more alone in her life.

"_Dawn! Can you bring Espeon's poké ball? It's by Ash's backpack!"_ May called out from the distance.

"Y-Yeah! I can do that!" Dawn ran back to the sanctuary, happy to be able to join them.

…

The new Empathic wasn't used to sensing people's emotions without being blindfolded, but it was impossible for her to ignore the Coordinator's _distress_.

Despite Dawn being a threat to her personal relationship with Ash, May couldn't stand seeing her friend that hurt and alone.

_No one deserves that…_

That thought lingered in her mind when she finally realized an extremely important question that everyone else had seemed to ignore…

_At the end of all this… who is Ash going to choose?_

* * *

><p>"What do you think they're doing in there?"<p>

"Technically we're in, they're out. So… it'd be _'out there'_."

"What's with the grammar police here?"

"Is that really grammar? Or is that situational definition?"

"Is that even a thing?"

The group chatted amongst each other – their individual activities suddenly halted after Dawn had entered and left in a hurry. Curiosity of the missing teammates took over everyone's interests.

Latias put her finger to her lips, gesturing for the others to go silent.

She blurred, turning invisible in seconds.

"_Oooh, sneaky_. Tell us all about it, Latias!" Tracey encouraged.

"**SHHHHHHH!"** the rest of the team hushed him.

The sanctuary turned quiet.

…

"Wait." Casey broke the silence. "How can she tell us what happened?"

Several within the group hung their heads and sighed.

"Well, I can understand her." Bianca pointed out. "I can talk for her."

"Nice!" Ritchie cheered. "That's pretty cool! Having a friend who can go invisible and mimic you? Sounds like you can get out of some pretty messy situations with a friend like that!"

Bianca laughed in embarrassment. "Actually, she gets me into more trouble because of it."

The group shared small laughs.

"_So Bianca…_" Todd leaned forward. "We all talked about what happened in our crazy little adventure… but we never heard what happened when Ash came to visit you."

"Yeah, even Dawn kept avoiding that conversation." Tracey pointed out.

"And Casey here won't say a word about it." Ritchie bumped his shoulder against hers.

Casey grumbled and bumped back.

"So that leaves you to tell us what happened." The Pokémon Photographer smirked mischievously – extremely curious of what her reaction would be.

Solana and Liza, who had been quietly playing cards in the corner, both quickly crawled over.

"I'll admit that even I want to hear this." Liza pulled over a backpack and sat on it.

Solana flopped onto her stomach, and leaned her chin against her forearms. "How is Alto Mare this time of year?"

"I… _uh… uhm…_" Bianca looked around her. She was completely surrounded.

"Come on! Tell us!"

"Did something _'special'_ happen there?"

"She's blushing! Something **DID** happen!"

"You can't back out now. Tell us! Tell us!"

"_Er… the thing is…"_

"Oh for crying out loud!" Casey stood and walked over to Bianca. She sat down beside her and stretched her limbs. "We'll tell it together."

"Wait! I – I don't think we should!" Bianca panicked.

"Well good thing I'm not thinking right now." Casey took off her baseball cap and slipped a stick of bubblegum into her mouth. "Gather around kiddies! Cuz Auntie Casey and BiBi have a tale to tell!"

"**BiBi?** What kind of name is that?"

"Hey, I started the story – storytellers get to choose names. You're BiBi, I'm Auntie Casey, and this is the magnificent tale of Sato! The Man Who Hit the Reset Button!"

The audience applauded eagerly.

Bianca buried her face in her hands in utter embarrassment._ "Ash is going to kill us…"_

* * *

><p>A large wave of <em>emotion<em> crashed out of Anabel, tears fell from her eyes – continuing to soak her already drenched coat.

Her nails dug deep wounds into her two closest extensions…

Espeon yowled in_ agony_. The emotions the Sun Pokémon _recognized most from Anabel_ ran through her… _memories_ flashed within her mind, each one attached to an emotion the Empathic would always _remember_ for her beloved pokémon…

She _wanted to falter_ – to _forever be sucked into_ the Empathy and _give it everything_ it ever wanted. It was Anabel, her master, her partner, her friend. _Why shouldn't she? Why shouldn't she sacrifice herself for her?_

_**Espeon! Focus!**_

The _psychic call_ returned the pokémon's consciousness back into reality.

Sabrina kneeled a short distance away from her, with palms spread open.

_**Control the emotions. Form them into memories and transfer them to me.**_

Espeon growled, the gem on its forehead glowing bright in response to its _mental struggle_.

Sabrina could feel its mind on the _brink of insanity_. She could no longer keep her own safety as a priority.

The Psychic took a step forward, reaching out towards Espeon.

_Sensing the intrusion_ of an _unwanted entity_, the _fury and rage_ of Anabel _flared_ out – attempting to consume the Psychic that had wandered too close.

_**ESPEON!**_

Sabrina planted her palm against the pokémon's gem.

_**TRANSFER THEM!**_

A glimmer of violet light entered Sabrina's arm.

_**Success!**_

Espeon fainted.

"Move out of the way, Sabrina!" Maylene called out.

A roar of _violent energy_ dove down, missing the dodging Psychic by inches.

Sabrina rolled and exited the threat zone.

The energy _halted_ in its hunt and returned to _patrolling_ the area around Anabel.

She let out a sigh of _relief_.

_**Now it's up to Misty…**_

"_**Anabel, it is Ash's turn.**_"

Anabel looked towards Sabrina, her eyes still red from tears – yet remained emotionless. She nodded.

"_Ash…"_

Another wave of _emotion _released.

The female Empathic grunted in pain. Tears rained from her eyes once again.

Her grip renewed, digging deeper into a bare shoulder. Blood ran down Ash's skin, as Anabel's nails widened the wounds she had already set on him.

Ash's breathing quickened. He tried his best to hold back the howls of pain.

"Focus on your center, Ash. Just feel the Aura in your center." Maylene coached from afar – using the lessons she had learned with Lucario to improve their pain tolerance. "Focus on your breathing. Feel it go to your center, then back out."

"**AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!**" Ash roared in _agony_… not from his own pain, but from _Anabel's_.

Her emotions of _love, loyalty_, and _care_ passed through him – bringing _memories_ of the female Empathic's countless tortures.

She had endured for him. Held out for him. Gave nothing away… _all for him_. She protected Ash in the only way she could. No one would hurt Ash. Not _her_ Ash. She'd _never_ give him up. She never did. And she was punished for it.

They tried nonstop to break her. _If her heart would not break, then perhaps her mind? Perhaps her body?_

The _fear _she felt when she read those_ emotions_ – were real to Ash… his body shivered, his mind locked itself away. It would only be the beginning. _If only she would just give in, if only she would give them what they want – they'd comfort her, please her, free her from this pain that she kept inflicting on herself. __**They weren't bad… they were trying to protect her from herself.**_

Anabel had _shaken_ and _fought_ those thoughts away. They tried controlling her into _obedience_. They tried manipulating her into_ submission_.

But she never obeyed. She never submitted. And she was punished for it.

"**ANABEL!"** Ash cried out. **"ANABEL! ANAAABELLLLLL!"**

Everyone that watched, now turned away – unable to bear the pain they saw in his blank eyes.

Dawn covered her ears and began sobbing. "Stop it, Ash! **STOP IT!**" His cries were too much for her.

She wanted to run to him, to comfort him, to stop his pain. But she couldn't. She wouldn't be allowed in.

"_**Misty!"**_ Sabrina yelled.

"_Ash…"_ The Cerulean City Gym Leader held out her hand. "Let it go… let me hold it."

"**NO!"**

The voice that had come out of Ash was not his.

"**It's Ash's! I gave it to him! It's his!"** Ash and Anabel yelled in unison.

The swirling fireball of _fury and rage_ blocked Misty's way.

Sabrina turned towards the tomboy.

"Looks like I'm up." Angie cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders.

_Confidently_, she stepped into the hazard zone.

"**Hey, Anne! Over here!"**

Anabel, along with her _enraged ball of emotions_, turned towards her.

"That's right, right here!" Angie taunted her to strike.

"_Anj…"_ the female Empathic's voice was cold, influencing the red and orange energy of anger to _turn ice cold_ in colors. _"…step out. Right. Now."_

"And what if I don't?"

"_Then I will kill you."_

"Why? Do you really have that much of an inferiority complex?" Angie shrugged as she continued to mock the heartless Empathic. "Afraid I might… _win Ash over?_"

That was it.

Anabel let go of Ash and _forced _her raging emotions to strike at the insolent young woman.

"_**Misty! Now!"**_

"Ash!"

Ash exhaled and released all his held emotions into Misty.

Anabel turned. **"NO!"** The cold fury _turned hot_ and burned towards Ash's extension.

"_**MAYLENE!"**_

"On it!" The fighter ran towards the _infuriated_ force and controlled her breathing.

_Come on, Maylene. You got this. You got this. Just like before._

A slow breath out.

A slow breath in.

Maylene closed her eyes and let the Emptiness return.

Everything went silent.

Ash, Misty, and Sabrina fainted immediately.

The _Empathic_ and_ Psychic_ energies in the immediate area separated themselves from their physical containers – their powers becoming _inhaled_ by the void that rested in the pit of the fighter's center.

Churning to a single point, the mixed _emotional_ and _mental _forces glowed in a wonderful display of light and warmth within Maylene's hands.

Dawn, Pikachu, and Latias leaned closer – dazzled by the sight.

Angie scratched her nose and watched carefully.

Maylene's eye twitched.

Finding the fighter's signal, Angie pushed the blank-faced girl towards the ball of _emotion_. "Soup's ready, Anne. Drink up and feel better."

Maylene instinctively gave the energy to its rightful owner.

The light and warmth touched Anabel's chest.

"_Ah-!"_

She let out a gasp as her emotions and memories returned. Her eyes lit up. _"I can…!"_

"Not done yet!" Angie patted Maylene on the back, gesturing the fighter to stop. "May! Close her up!"

"Just did." The pink-haired woman blinked at her.

"Not you. The **other** May!"

The Empathic Coordinator slid in and ran towards the off-balanced Frontier Brain.

"Here goes nothing!" May pulled her bandana over her eyes and rubbed her hands together. She pressed her warmed palms against Anabel's heart.

…

…

"_A lot… better."_ Anabel sighed and _smiled_.

She fainted.

…

Latias began clapping.

"_Thank you! Thank you!"_ Angie bowed.

"Will you be here all week?" Maylene joked as she bowed too.

"If I have to carry all these bodies back by myself, probably."

They looked back. Ash, Anabel, Espeon, and Sabrina were dead asleep. Misty simply raised her hand, gesturing for assistance.

May walked over and lifted her up. "You okay?"

"…_that was…"_ the orange-haired Gym Leader mumbled inaudibly.

"Huh?"

"…_was mine…"_ She lost consciousness.

May shrugged her shoulders and turned towards the others. "Can I have some help?"

They nodded.

Pikachu and Latias carried the downed Espeon.

Angie threw Anabel onto her back. "Come on, Anne. Can't rest out here."

Maylene picked up the Psychic. "I have no idea where this lady gets her insane ideas for cures, but man is she effective."

The tomboy raised a brow as she carried the Empathic through the woods. "What I don't get is why she just didn't ask you to absorb all those powers when Anabel here built up her emotions. We could've skipped out on all that other stuff."

Maylene laughed in response. "Well she did say that if we didn't filter out those emotions that it would've been bad. Something about _handling it all at once could've ended me_ or something."

"I guess that's important." Angie laughed with her.

…

"Dawn?" May turned towards her fellow Coordinator. "…can you carry Ash?"

The blue-haired girl sat in silence, tears rolling down her eyes.

"_I… don't…"_

With the bandana still over her eyes, the Empathic Coordinator _sensed _for the girl's emotions carefully.

She had hoped the others would leave Ash so that Dawn would feel useful, as she had been considering herself_ useless_ throughout the entire experience.

_But now…_ Dawn felt worse.

"_I… I don't deserve to."_

"Dawn…"

"_All of you do so much for each other… I didn't even know what was happening half the time you were all doing that."_ The Sinnoh Coordinator looked away with _shame_. _"I'm so useless…"_

Her words _broke_ May's heart. She knew _exactly_ how Dawn felt, almost _far too exact_. But unlike Ash, she _didn't know_ what she could do to change her mind.

"You're a talented Coordinator, Dawn… in fact, I think you're even a better Coordinator than me." she admitted, recalling their match in the Wallace Cup. "You're not useless. Ash needs you for this mission. More than he probably needs me as a Coordinator. I just had years of a head start over you. Give yourself a few years and you'll surpass me."

May gave an _encouraging _smile, hoping that the young girl wouldn't mimic the _'and what are you'_ speech she gave to Ash in the Rocket Tunnel. _I honestly would have no idea what to say to that…_

Dawn crawled over and slowly lifted Ash onto her shoulder.

She walked silently into the thick trees.

_I'm glad she's moving at least…_

The blue Coordinator stopped and plainly admitted, "_I… _don't really care about being a Coordinator without Ash…"

With a grunt, she continued her march back to the sanctuary.

…

"…_you and me both, kid."_

* * *

><p>The private meeting had ended, and its participants returned to the sanctuary.<p>

First to arrive was Angie, with Anabel piggybacked. The tomboy's hair was a mess, and the others could smell that it was slightly burnt. Oppositely, Anabel's hair remained perfectly intact, though her clothes were soaking wet.

Then came Latias, with Pikachu and Espeon lying on her illusionary shoulders. Latias, as always, looked perfectly clean – though her eyes suggested recent shock and worry. Pikachu also seemed perfectly fine visually, though showed obvious concern for the other pokémon riding with him. The Sun Pokémon was in horrible shape… her fur stiff and frayed, and with four noticeable wound marks on its back. Despite this, she was sleeping soundly.

Dawn and Maylene appeared together, one carrying Sabrina, and the other carrying Ash.

Maylene, as usual, looked slightly unkempt yet cheerful. Stains of all kinds marked her already dirty clothes. The Psychic on her back looked in similar condition. Though unlike the fighter, she was unconscious and mumbling in a fitful sleep.

The Coordinator seemed in almost perfect condition, except for her tired eyes. Ash, on the other hand, looked… ravaged. Half of his shirt and vest were torn off completely, almost as if burned off. Blood was dripping from his shoulder. His face didn't seem to show care, as he snored loudly in a blissful sleep.

Lastly, May entered into the sanctuary, with Misty fading in and out of consciousness on her back. The two seemed mostly unharmed. May's only injury was in her hands, which were a soft off-color pink – as if its old skin had been peeled off.

In whole, the returning group was in shambles, and seemed relieved to be back to an area with light.

…

"Looks like that private meeting seemed a lot more_ private_ than it should have been." Todd joked as he gestured towards Ash.

The group laughed uneasily.

Maylene gladly helped the joke, "Oh yeah. We _all_ took turns! It was pretty intense. You shoulda' been there."

The fighter was instantly tackled and kicked by two of her helping companions.

Angie and May's faces were completely pink from the fighter's explicit insinuation.

Even Latias seemed to blush at the idea.

"**What?** We d-didn't –!" May nearly dropped her passenger. She panicked to rebalanced.

"Y-You're sick, Maylene!" Angie gave another kick.

Maylene dodged and laughed. "Calm down! Calm down! It's just a joke!"

Dawn tilted her head. "Huh? Joke?" Completely oblivious.

The fighter grinned. "At least one of us is innocent." She nudged Dawn. "We'll tell you when you get older."

"Older?" The Coordinator pouted, "I'm not some kid!"

"Well you are the youngest of all of us." Bianca pointed out with an air of superiority.

"_Er…_ BiBi?" Casey pointed at her nose. "Nosebleed."

"Hm?" She looked down. "_Ah!_"

Bianca covered her face with one hand as she desperately tried to wipe away the nosebleed with the other.

The group laughed.

"_S-So…_" The center of attention tried to recover herself. "What were you guys doing in there?"

"'_Out' _there." Ritchie corrected.

"Seriously, call the grammar police." Casey sighed.

"In there. Out there. Whatever." Bianca successfully stopped and cleaned her previous embarrassment. "What were you all doing without us?"

"Yeah, it looks like you all had a fight!" Solana leaned back and allowed Plusle to sit on her lap. "It definitely sounded like a fight."

"_Or something else entirely."_ Todd coughed.

Angie kicked his head. "Shush, perv."

"The charizards haven't seen any activity above or around the forest." Liza mentioned as she sipped from her can of coffee. "So unless someone attacked underground, I'm assuming you all had a private sparring session with one another?"

"Pff! I wish!" Maylene slowly rested Sabrina against a tree.

Angie did the same for Anabel. "Actually, we were just fixing up Anne over here."

"Fixing?" Casey stuck her bubblegum to a rock and casually rested her head on her knees. "Something was wrong with her?"

Todd sat up and massaged the bump forming on the side of his head. "Well, she was going berserk back at the isle. I'm guessing that wasn't natural for her."

"Definitely not natural." The tomboy nodded. "She just needed a little tune-up. It was little troublesome, but she's all fine and dandy now."

"That's good to hea–"

Solana was cut off by a loud **SNORE**.

Angie had fallen asleep next to Anabel instantly.

She was not the only one to fall asleep. Maylene and May had dozed off, their expressions showing complete exhaustion.

Dawn was the last non-pokémon from the private meeting that hadn't fallen asleep.

She sat uncomfortably against a tree, as Ash's slumbering body curled up against her.

Latias put her finger up to her lip and smiled to the group. The Eon Pokémon lightly placed Espeon on Anabel's lap and silently hopped towards Bianca. Finding a comfortable spot to rest, she removed her light illusion and relaxed her body. _Long day…_

_You have to tell me what happened later._ Bianca sent her thoughts to the pokémon companion.

_Long story…_

The pokémon fell asleep.

…

…

"_We heard the story about your trip with Ash…"_

Dawn's eyes widened.


	26. Chapter 26 Worth

"_We heard the story about your trip with Ash…"_ Tracey sat next to Dawn, facing away. _"…is it true?"_

The blue Coordinator adjusted herself, trying to disguise the fact that she was trying to cover Ash's ears with her skirt.

"_Er…_ What – What do you mean?"

"_That he's Sato."_

"Wh-Who told you that?"

"_Casey and Bianca."_

Dawn looked down, not knowing what to say. This conversation wasn't supposed to happen. That story wasn't supposed to be told. Everyone was supposed to keep it a secret; Ash had bound them to that promise._ 'It would cause too much problems'_ he had said.

And now the problems were starting…

…

"_So it's true?"_

"…yes."

Tracey sighed. _"So what do you think?"_

"What do I think about what?"

"_That we're repeating history…"_

Dawn's eyes narrowed. "…repeating history?"

"_The same disaster's going to happen all over again. It's almost the same exact situation, just with different places and characters."_

"…different characters…"

Tracey looked up to the full moon and covered it with his palm. He turned and tilted his hand, studying its every line and curve being highlighted by moonlight. _"Can you imagine that? We all used to be someone else… I wonder who I used to be in that past."_

The Coordinator looked into her own hands. _Who I used to be…_

"_Casey said only Bianca, Latias, and Ash remembered something about that past. Something about how being pivotal to this new fight allows them to remember…"_

His hand closed into a fist. _"I don't know what that means for the rest of us, but I do know one thing… that means Ash is going to be in the same position as he was when he was Sato."_

Dawn's hands began to tremble. _…how come I don't remember anything? Am I not important to this? Am I not important to Ash…?_

She held back her tears, afraid of the group seeing her.

…_Ash… you're going to move forward, aren't you? And I'll just be me… You'll go out and save the world and meet so many more people, and I'll just be me…_

…_I don't want to be me without you, Ash. I don't know why. I don't know what I'm so scared about. But I want to only be me as long as I matter to you… I want to matter to you…_

_I want you to always be there with me…_

Dawn found herself holding Ash's sleeping head close to her chest.

She frowned and let his head back onto her lap.

"…_so what are you going to do?"_

Tracey's voice broke through her thoughts.

"What do you mean?" She looked towards him.

He still wasn't facing her – his back being the only thing she could see. From this position it was obvious that he didn't want others to know that they were talking.

"_If Ash tries to reset the universe again…"_

She gasped. _"Wh-What?"_

"_No matter how much this world changed, we're still going to end up in the same situation."_ The sketch-artist loosened his shoulders, as if showing exhausted surrender. _"And Ash is more than likely going to have to make the same decision."_

"But what if it doesn't happen the same way?"

"_And if it does? What will you do?"_

…

…

"I… don't understand what you're asking."

"_We all talked about it while the rest of you were gone…"_ Tracey adjusted himself and began sketching. Whether he was actually sketching or merely pretending to be busy, Dawn wasn't sure. _"…Sabrina, while the most logical of us, has gotten too close to Ash. Maylene's next in line, but she can get irrational at times too. She also tends to avoid topics when she doesn't like them._

"_May is far too loyal to him to try anything. Bill obviously isn't here with us. And even if he was, I doubt he'd really believe in all this universal-restart business. Liza said she didn't want to try anything too hasty – so she plans on just watching and waiting. Solana admitted she's more concerned with stopping Team Rocket and doesn't really care what Ash does after that. We already know that Angie and Anabel won't do anything against him. Bianca wouldn't say anything about the story, so it's easy to assume she won't do anything. And if Bianca doesn't do anything, then Latias obviously won't do anything either…"_

The Coordinator stopped his long explanation with a sigh. "I don't know what you're trying to say. You still haven't explained to me what you were asking."

"_I'm naming off the people who have items that relate to Ash. Or ones who were with him when he escaped the original attack on his home. The ones he picked because of the black marble."_

"…I know that, but _why_ are you naming them off?"

"_Because they'll most likely be the ones directly involved with that final battle. More than likely, they'll be the ones that help Ash make the final decision."_

"_Okay…_ but why are you asking me? He… _never looked for me…_ I just ended up here." she frowned, holding back any outward signs of her depression.

"_You mean, Bianca never told you?"_

"Never told me what? All we ever did was bicker."

Tracey laughed quietly. _"I guess she wouldn't want to tell you then."_

"What? What didn't she tell me?" Excitement was building up inside her. "Tell me!"

"_Shhhh…"_ Tracey reached back in a panic and covered her mouth.

"…_hmm? …what's going on?"_

Dawn turned stiff. She looked down. Ash was looking up at her.

"Oh…_h-hi Ash…_ it's nothing. _G-Go back to slee–_"

He began snoring before she could finish her sentence.

…

She let out a sigh of relief.

"_Be quiet."_ Tracey hissed.

"Then tell me what she told you."

"_Thing is… you and Ash didn't seem to catch it, but Latias and Bianca did."_

"Catch what? Quit with the dramatics."

"_You were there."_

"There where?"

"_In Sato's past. You were with him."_

* * *

><p>"What exactly are we waiting for?" Angie grumbled. She took another bite of her cold sandwich and leaned back onto the pure white stump.<p>

May frantically pressed icons on the screen, trying her best to prevent her virtual character from missing a dance step. "Just. Waiting. For Bill to call."

"Did he even say he was going to call today?"

"No. No… No! No! No No No No NoNoNO**NONONO! COME ON!**" The Empathic Coordinator slammed her head against the pokétab as her low score displayed in a flashing red font.

"Why don't we call him?"

"_**I don't know his number…"**_ May groaned angrily into the screen.

"Can't you just call him back through some call-back feature or something?"

May peeled the pokétab off her face and shoved it towards the tomboy._ "If you can find that, you do it. I seriously don't know how to check previous calls on that thing."_

Angie stared at the device and pressed buttons randomly.

…

…

"**Aha!"**

May sat up straight. "Did you find it?"

Angie grinned with pride. "I found out how to exit the game!"

**SLAM.**

May planted her face against the white stump. She groaned.

The tomboy began looking through the different programs available.

_What's this? …a diary?_

The female Empathic immediately looked up and glared.

Angie locked eyes with her. _Oh crap… I forgot she's an Empathic…_

"Eheh… _look at the time…_" she slowly rose to her feet.

"Angie, don't you dare…"

"Don't do wh– See ya'!" The tomboy ran off, with pokétab in hand.

"**ANGIE!"** May roared as she stumbled to her feet. **"GET BACK HERE!"**

"_I'll give it back once I'm done! Promise!"_ Angie yelled back with a laugh.

* * *

><p>Maylene avoided another strike and launched a counter kick.<p>

Her foot bounced off Lucario's chest harmlessly.

The blue jackal frowned.

With a shrug, she scratched her head embarrassingly. "Sorry, Lucario. Just not feeling it today."

It tilted its head.

"No offense, but I just really want to fight Ash."

Lucario folded its arms and grunted.

"N-No, nothing's wrong with you. You just don't really fight with your heart like he does."

**BOF.** An Aura Sphere exploded against her face.

She rubbed her nose in pain. "I said HEART! Not Aura!"

Lucario turned away.

"_Oh come on_, don't be like that. I love sparring with you. I just really wanted to fight with Ash today."

It waved her off.

"Well I can't. He's busy right now. Got an army to set up and he ain't got time for me right now."

It turned towards her and shrugged.

"I can't just force him! That's rude! Besides, I want him to ready this army up. Sooner we get this done, sooner I can ask him out."

Lucario smirked.

"Well duh I like Ash. I thought that was obvious."

His smirk became a knowing smile. He raised his brow.

Maylene's cheeks turned pink. "**M-Marry?** _Whoah whoah whoah now!_ One step at a time, Lucario!"

He kept his brow raised as he tilted his head.

"_I –_ I don't know if I can commit like that! _Yet_, at least! I mean, I've got a Gym to run! I've still got to train more! _And and –_!"

Lucario put his hand to his chin and grunted.

"R-Run the Gym with me? … _I uh…_" Maylene put her hands to her cheeks and began to sweat. "I d-don't think…. I mean, um… h-he _is_ talented…"

She shook her head and glared at him. "Quit putting thoughts in my head like that! It's just a date! Just to get to know each other better."

He shook his head, scratching his ear.

"What do you mean I won't get the chance?" Maylene narrowed her eyes. "You don't think I'm a good catch?"

He looked away and snickered.

"Hey! I know I'm not as pretty as the other girls… or as… _'developed'_… but I've got personality! And unlike them, I could save him if he gets in trouble. They're all just princesses. Even if Ash doesn't know it yet, he'd be happier with a warrior."

Lucario shifted his eyes quickly to his right.

Maylene glanced and found a familiar tomboy climbing a tree.

"Who? Angie?" She put her hand to her chin and studied the young woman. "I guess. But I doubt she'd get the courage to ask Ash out first."

Lucario then made an impression of a person with an extremely serious face. He used his Aura to accentuate his body.

"Sabrina? **No way!** She's like… _well… actually, I don't know how old she is._ But no way!"

…

"_You seriously think so?_ I mean I know they're close, but would they actually?"

He shrugged.

"Well if she does…" Maylene cracked her knuckles and punched forward. "We can settle it in a fight. I've always wanted to fight a Psychic of her caliber!"

Lucario sighed.

"Is he worth it?"

…

She gave it some thought.

"Well, I'm not sure if he's worth it. But he sure is fun. Don'tcha' think?"

Lucario smiled.

Maylene smiled back.

"At least we agree on that."

* * *

><p>"You sure you don't want to eat?"<p>

"I'm not really hungry."

…

Ash stared at the soup he had prepared for Anabel.

He sighed. _I don't really want to eat this myself…_

…

_Anabel?_

…

"Anabel?"

"Y-Yes?"

"_S-Sorry…_ I'm just not used to you not talking to me with your Empathy."

Anabel looked down, her eyes showing revealing sadness – though it didn't matter much to the one who couldn't see. "_Oh sorry…_ I guess I'm just not used to talking like that. It's been a while."

_Is… Is this better?_

Ash could feel the _hesitation, fear, _and _anxiety_ in her emotions.

He held her hand instinctively. "You don't have to if you don't want to, Anabel."

She blushed and gave a slight frown. "It's not that I don't want to…_ I'm just not used to it._ I just kept myself locked up for so long_… trying to keep them out._ I-It feels weird to know that they won't… _they won't…_"

The female Empathic was _starting to break_. Her emotions beginning to _shake_ and _crack_.

Ash wrapped his arms around her and pressed her head against his chest. "It's okay. You're here now. You're fine. I'm here, Anny."

_Broken._

_**ASH! ASH! I HELD, ASH! I HELD! Th-They didn't get it from me! They couldn't! It's not for them! I protected you! I kept you safe! The others broke! The others gave in! But I never did! I never did, Ash! OH GOD! ASH!**_

She was wailing into his chest. Her hands _desperately_ held onto his head, as she continued to _shatter_.

_**I wouldn't let them in! I couldn't let them in! THEY COULDN'T PULL ME OUT! NO! THEY COULDN'T! I HELD! I HELD! I DID! I SWEAR! I SWEAR! But… But… they locked me away! They locked me away, Ash! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY! I didn't… I didn't want them to! I didn't want them! I WANTED YOU ASH! NOT THEM!**_

His heart _tore_.

Her emotions_ far too strong_ and _far too hurt_ for a single person to bear, _he carried them with her_.

Anabel's emotions during her capture were in stark contrast with what her body and mind had felt. Instincts had told her then _to give in_. And logic told her to _save herself_ _or_ _there'd be nothing left for Ash_ to have. But her emotions fought against these – and because of it, her heart was _torn_.

She had _given all of herself_ to protect Ash, all for the irrational gamble that it would pay off. That he'd _return her feelings_. _**Return her love**__._

Her cries went silent.

…

_No…_ she felt towards him. _Even if you don't choose me, it's okay. I would've done it either way. Because I love you, Ash._

Her heart _calmed_. Her breathing slowed.

_I… don't love you more than myself, I am myself, and myself loves you. I don't love you more than anything – I just know I love you, and nothing can compare to it._

Anabel looked up to him. His face _so peaceful_, yet his tears continued flowing.

She wiped them away.

_I don't know why I love you so much, Ash. I just do. I know I didn't love you this much when I first met you… and I know I didn't love you this much before they took me away from you… but I love you so much now. I can't explain it. I just do, Ash. And…_

"It's okay if you don't. I know you love me. I feel it now."

The female Empathic brushed her head against his neck and took a deep breath in. _You smell nice…_

"I don't know why I love you Ash. But you never questioned why you felt this way for me… you just did. So I will too."

She looked into his eyes. Blank, empty, _but with so much emotion_ behind them.

"I know it sounds silly… but _I think I was made for you, Ash…_"

"Anabel…"

…_can you call me Anny again? I really like that name…_

"…Ann–"

"**HEY PRINCESS! GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!"**

The tomboy's voice echoed against the trees.

The sound made Anabel _boil up in anger_.

_Angie…_ her emotions growled.

A _horribly familiar tension_ filled the air.

_Oh no…_ Ash sighed.

The tomboy stomped towards them. "I know I said Ash needed you and all…"

She violently ripped Ash away from her. "But that _didn't _mean you could cling onto him like a heracross to a tree!"

Anabel's lip formed a smirk. _You've lost, tomboy._ "If anything, Ash was clinging _onto me._ We were having a heartfelt moment. By **his** choice."

"Of course it was. Because he wanted to comfort you. _Anyone would_ if they heard you howling like a **wailord!**"

Her eye twitched. "It was more than just that, trust me. Ash **wanted** me in his arms. _Ask him yourself_."

"And play your game? No thank you." Angie stepped in close and frowned. _I'll wipe that ugly smug off your face, princess._ "I think it's sad that you always resort to being passive aggressive. Always hiding behind someone else to take care of your problems."

"Excuse me?"

"You're trying to manipulate Ash into making a choice he doesn't want to make!"

"Who says he doesn't want to make it?"

"Apparently the girl Ash_ always goes to_ for fair and non-judgmental advice!" It wasn't a card Angie liked to play, but she would gladly bring it out if it meant it would silence Anabel. She continued, "And **not **the princess that keeps forcing him to feel and think things on her convenience!"

"**YOU-!"** Anabel stood and bared her teeth.

"Wanna' go at it again? Because we can settle that little fight **right here! Right now!** No Officer Jenny's to stop us!"

"_Um…"_ Ash pathetically tried to interrupt.

"**STAY OUT OF IT!"** the two shouted in unison.

"_But… May's coming._"

"**SO**?" Anabel fumed.

Angie, however, _understood_ what that meant.

"**Oh crap!** _Um…_ We'll settle this later, Anne!" the tomboy gave an awkward bow and started running.

"**YEAH YOU GET OUT OF HERE!"**

…

Anabel exhaled and_ relaxed_. Using her fingers, she combed her hair back into perfection and straightened the wrinkles off her coat.

She gave an _apologetic_ smile towards Ash. "S-Sorry about that… I must've seemed a little –"

"**Where is she?"**

May came charging in. _Exhausted_ and out of breath, but enough energy and air to shout angrily.

The lilac-haired Empathic smiled in _superiority_ and shook her head. "What did Angie do now?"

"**She took my diar**– I mean, the **pokétab!**"

Anabel pointed her in the right direction.

The Coordinator sprinted off.

…

_Diary?_ Anabel considered. _If helped May, I could get Angie pummeled... Or I could help Angie and find what's in that diary._

Ash sighed.

The female Empathic smiled _mischievously_. _Or I could just help myself and get Angie caught while still taking the diary for myself._

The male Empathic walked away and grumbled, _"Just leave me out of it…"_

Anabel stayed, _weighing her options with great interest_.

As Ash neared the sanctuary, a bittersweet thought ran through his mind.

_Just like old times…_

* * *

><p>"You better spit it out, Bianca!"<p>

"Or what, Dawn?"

The Coordinator sneered. "Or I'll! **I'll**!"

She felt a finger tap on her back.

Dawn looked over her shoulder, only to find another Bianca smiling and waving at her.

"What?"

The real Bianca pulled herself away from Dawn's grip and took a step back.

She smirked. "Two of us, one of you."

Latias agreed with an innocent nod.

"**Wrong."**

**Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.  
>Vacuum. Vacuum. Vacuum. Vacuum. Vacuum. Vacuum.<strong>

Dawn emptied her purse of its poké balls. "You try anything then it's suddenly **seven** of me, and only** two** of you."

…

Bianca frowned. She crossed her arms and looked away. "What's it matter to you, anyways?"

"It matters to me the same reason why it matters to you." The Coordinator took a step forward. "If this wasn't a big deal, you would've told me."

"Would I?"

"It has something to do about Ash, doesn't it?"

…

Dawn looked towards the fake Bianca. "It does, **doesn't it, Latias**?"

The illusion of Bianca gave a face of guilt and sadness. Refusing eye contact, Latias nodded.

Dawn faced the real one again. "Tracey said you saw me back in Sato's past. But I was there with you. I didn't see me at all. None of them looked like me… _or even felt like me_."

She looked down to her feet. "I don't have any connection to the memories we saw that day. And… _it hurts me. _Because I want to matter. To Ash. And I know you want to matter too, but **at** **least you had that memory** – _that feeling_ – _**that connection**_ with Ash. Isn't that _enough_ to tell you that you two matter more to him than I do? If I didn't see me there, I must've been too minor a character in the past!_ Isn't that enough?_ Isn't that enough for you to rub it in my face?"

Her hands shook. Her cry held back. "_I… just want to know_. Who I was. _If I helped at all…_"

…

Latias turned, tears forming in her eyes.

"Latias?" Dawn watched as the pokémon ran off.

For a second, she thought she had seen Latias' human form change…

Bianca walked off, following her pokémon friend.

"Bianca! Just answer me!"

…

Her rival tilted her head. _"Dawn…"_

"…yes?"

"…what would you do if you found out… that the reason you couldn't remember… was because you _shouldn't_ remember?"

"What… _What do you mean?_"

She continued walking.

"Wait! Bianca!"

"**Drop it, Dawn!**" the normally calm girl shouted as her body began to shake. She was sobbing. "Just… drop it! You win, okay? _You always do._"

The Coordinator paused. Unsure what to think or say to that response.

"What do you mean, Bianca?" was her only valid reaction.

…

"_That's not my name…"_

Bianca dashed into the woods, chasing after Latias.


	27. Chapter 27 Consideration

Water **splashed** again.

_Relief._

"Misty?"

After finding that the sanctuary was near empty, Ash decided to wander through the woods he had become so familiar with – in the hopes of finding the others. While he didn't know exactly where he was or where he was going, he instinctively knew he was still in the forest, and could find his way back without having to think about it.

However, in his lone wandering, he heard a sound he was never familiar with in the area.

**Rushing water**.

…

Misty's emotions showed _surprise_ and slight _panic_. Hints of _anger_ and _embarrassment _were flushed away as she realized who it was.

"_Oh!_ Ash… it's just you."

"…_er…_ yeah. _Um…_ I heard water back here. And I'm pretty sure this place never had a river…"

Ash felt another presence slightly above her. Lying against the branches of the tree above, Starmie and Staryu _waited patiently_ for Misty's commands.

"**Oh!** You got yourself a shower set up! Smart!"

…

_Wait… shower?_

Ash's face turned red as he covered his eyes.

…

"**S-Sorry! I- uh- didn't – !"**

Ash ran into a tree. _"…ow."_

_Um, Ash?_

"**I'll just be on my w-way!"**

_Ash._

"Y-Y-Yeah?"

_You can't see, remember?_

"W-Well yeah…_ I guess, but…_"

He still refused to move his hands away.

"…_y-you're not… er… wearing…"_

_N-No…_

Misty's entire body turned red in _embarrassment_. She grabbed a towel and hid behind a tree.

_L-Look. You didn't have to make a big deal about it. I- I don't even know why I'm h-hiding now._

_B-Because you were –…_

_I know what I was, you jerk! But I wanted to finish my shower!_

_I – I can just leave._ Ash began to feel his way around the trees.

_W-Wait, I…_

He stopped in his tracks.

_I… wanted to talk to you._

He nervously tried to pull his pant leg away from a curled root that it had hooked onto._ W-we can talk back at the –…_

_No, in private. _Misty's emotions were _calm, humble_, yet _serious_ and _urgent_.

…_later then?_

_N-No. Now._

_B-But…_

_I – I know I'm naked, okay! But you can't see. S-So it doesn't really count… …and you better not be having any thoughts, because I'll catch them!_

_Wh-What?_

_Just… walk back over here._

Ash gulped. "Wh-Where do I stand?"

"Just a little closer… I can't read you very well back there…"

The male Empathic stiffly walked over. He stopped every few steps.

"A little closer…"

A few more steps forward.

"Closer."

One more step.

"Just a little more…" her voice was so close now.

"**Wh-Why?** Y-You can read me j-just fine from here, right?" Ash was sweating hard.

"_I…"_ she began mumbling.

…

"What?"

_I said… I need you to s-stand there in case anyone comes. I need to use your body as cover._

"**Wh-What?"** His head became red hot.

_N-Not like that! Just to m-make sure no one sees me immediately!_

"B-But you were standing out here even before I got here!"

_I didn't think anyone would find me all the way back here! But seeing that you found me – who knows who else is going to follow you back here!_

"I – I said I can just go!"

"**And I said I wanted to talk!"**

…

She sighed and slowly moved away from the tree.

_J-Just let me finish my shower._

…

**-flp-**

Her towel dropped.

**-fsssssssssssssss-**

Staryu began to release its water.

Ash stood perfectly still. Trying to _clear his mind_ of any thought or possible distraction. He didn't want to think of anything else in case the thought moved onto the very ideas he was refusing to think. His emotions reflected that of _a statue_… _a statue that was trying really hard to convince itself that it was a statue._

… _Ash?_

The statue _shattered_. _Y-Y-Yes?_

… _who's Maya?_

As if being slapped awake, Ash remembered where he was and who he was…

He was no longer the same Ash before this journey started. Not the same Ash that wondered where he'd end up a few years down the road. Not the same Ash that was trying to overcome his blindness…

He accepted all those things. The journey, his blindness, and even the fact that he might not come out of this journey alive…

He was Ash… the one leading the group to fix everything Sato couldn't…

"_Sato…" _Misty whispered.

…

Only the sound of water dripping could be heard.

She had stopped moving. Her mind _fixated_ on the name that floated in Ash's thoughts.

"…Misty?"

"Ash. Why do I know these names? Who are they?"

His emotions _locked up_, preventing her from looking into him.

"Ash?"

"I-It's nothing. Finish your shower."

"You're hiding something."

"It's not important."

"You're a terrible liar."

"Maya, just…"

"**You just called me her again! Who's Maya?**"

…

Ash was caught. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. At this point, he had no choice but to talk. While he admitted that he could have avoided this conversation by running and hiding forever, he knew that she would find out some way, some time, somehow down the road in this adventure.

With a sigh, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object.

"…do you know what this is?"

The Empathic _studied _his emotional extension carefully… he _waited _for the slightest change or reaction from her due to the sight of the black marble.

…

Nothing. Just casual_ confusion_.

"No… What is it?"

"It's an Arceus Drop. Does that mean anything to you?"

Though he himself _twitched _in reaction at mentioning the marble's name, he felt nothing from her.

She was understandably _perplexed_. No more, no less.

"No. Not really."

Ash sighed. Rolling the black marble against his fingers, he considered everything in his memory.

_Then why do only Bianca and Latias know something about this? I don't think I even remember seeing them in that memory… only Misty._

"What memory? What about Bianca and Latias?"

He _closed back up_, _hating himself_ for not being able to hold up his emotional walls like the others. The topic was no longer open for discussion with Misty. If she didn't remember any of the topics he had brought up, her reaction to the entire story may have turned out far more negative in its consequences. The less she knew, the better.

And so he_ kept her out_.

"No, Ash. Tell me now."

…

"Something happened in Alto Mare. Something you're not telling me."

…

"Open yourself up, Ash! This isn't fair!"

"_I can't, Misty…_"

"Why not?"

"Because I can't. Because I don't know what to do if anyone else found out."

"Why don't you trust me with this? How can you trust Bianca and Latias and not me? I've been with you through more than anyone else in this group! You know you can trust me!"

"This… This is different." Ash began walking away.

A wet hand grabbed onto his elbow.

He ignored it and wrenched himself away.

"**If you won't tell me, I'll get it out of you!"**

Misty grabbed his arm with both hands and pulled him towards her.

His body collided into hers.

Her body. _Soft. Smooth. Wet. And…_

Ash got a nosebleed.

"_T-Tell me!"_ Misty wrapped her arms around him. Her face redder than it had ever been in her entire life, but still full of _determination_, and still in _complete control_.

"_I…! Uhm! …"_

He was going to faint. This situation felt too _unreal_; too _different_ from everything else he had ever experienced his entire life. And his _hands_… were _touching her hips_…

Ash shook his head. _No! Ignore it, Ash! You're not just some little boy! It doesn't matter if she's doing this! You're Sato! You've got more important things to worry about! You've got to… got to… er…_

He realized his emotional wall was _down_.

Misty smirked. "So _you're_ Sato."

"_Er… thing is…"_

"And I'm Maya,_ right_? You **saw something** back at Alto Mare – something that Bianca, Latias, Casey, and Dawn know about, something _extremely important_. And you don't want anyone else to find out about it or figure it out."

"_I…"_ He sighed. _"…yes."_

"So either you're going to tell me… or I'm going to get the answer out of Bianca myself. I'm fine with either option."

"Misty, please…"

"Don't you mean _'Maya'_, Sato?"

His heart skipped a beat. For a moment, he could see again.

Maya was in his arms. Giving him a _loving_ smile.

She looked so much like Misty… though her hair was naturally longer in comparison.

Like a river of sunlight, her hair flowed and shimmered. Like a vast sea, her blue eyes sparkled. And like a pure bride, her innocent smile showed more love than a thousand poems could ever express.

"_Sato, I think I want to move here after all of this…"_

"_Here?"_ He looked at the forest around them. _"I thought you said you wanted to live up north. The place with the aquarium, remember?"_

"_I know… but you seem so happy here."_ Her soft hand touched his face. _"I want to be where you are."_

Blackness returned, swallowing the light.

The moment had ended, and he was Ash again.

But the warmth still remained against his cheek.

…it was _Misty's hand_.

"S-Sato?"

She pulled away, standing up and backing away quickly. Her fingers wrapped against her head. _"Wh-What was that?"_

The Empathic's eyes widened. "Misty… you saw it too?"

"Who's_… Misty? I'm… Maya_… no, _I'm Misty._ I'm Misty. _Right?_"

_Confusion. Panic. Fear._ The Cerulean City Gym Leader began to _shatter _under the twisting weight of the two realities._ "I…"_

Ash noticed his hand increase in temperature.

_The marble…_

It had been rising in heat while in his possession for quite some time, but he had only noticed it now.

_Was it reacting to Misty?_

He had no time to ponder the thought… Misty was _going to faint_.

"Misty!" Ash leapt up and grabbed the young woman before she fell.

…

"_I think… I like 'Maya' better, Sato."_

She _lost consciousness_.

Falling into rest with her, the Arceus Drop cooled and faded from memory.

…

Ash began to shake her. "Maya… **Maya!**"

Her eyes opened. Her emotions _completely changed_.

He felt something else entirely hot in his hands. Maya's body was heating up.

She was blushing all over. _"A-Ash?"_

"Yes, Maya?"

"_F-First off, don't call me that."_

"But you just said –"

"_S-Second… please let go of me."_

"Huh?"

Ash suddenly remembered his situation.

His fingers twitched, feeling Misty's _soft, bare skin_.

The action earned him a hard slap across the face.

His face met grass after falling off balance.

Misty kicked him while he was down and grabbed her towel. "Pervert."

"B-But you're the one that –"

"I know what I did. And I did it to get information out of you. Now that I have it, you can go now." She waved him off.

"_Wh-What?_ You're just going to pretend like none of that happened?"

"Like what happened? Nothing happened." her voice was cold and sharp.

Ash rubbed his cheek and slowly crawled to his feet.

He sighed and began walking off. "Alright, whatever. I guess."

The Empathic was _irritated_ and more than just_ confused_. _What the heck was all that about? Just goes and uses me like that and pretends like it means nothing… Whatever. I'm going to talk to Pikachu._

_It didn't mean nothing, Sato._

He paused.

_I just don't think we should talk about it right now. …we should get this done first, right?_

He smiled. _Yeah, we should._

"So get out of here already!" Misty growled loudly. "I still need to get changed!"

_I still don't know what any of this means… but that moment was… nice. You can tell me what you saw back in Alto Mare some other time. For now, I just need some time alone… to clear my head._

_I'll talk to you later, Maya._

_Yeah… I'll see you later, S-Sato…_

* * *

><p>"And that's the whole story."<p>

…

…

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

Tracey leaned casually against a splintered tree. His false confidence easily showing cracks as he constantly changed his posture.

His body was trembling. It had been trembling since he had arrived within that desolate part of the woods.

To Tracey, his fears were justified. He was in the presence of Sabrina… _alone_.

The sketch-artist couldn't recall if _anyone_ had ever been alone with Sabrina, excluding Ash.

It seemed Ash and Angie were the main pieces of the formula to make the Psychic approachable… without either of them, she seemed far too cold and deadly to be considered anything close to an ally or friend. Just being near her sent involuntary chills throughout his body.

She never looked at him. She never moved an inch. And she never spoke a word since he first began talking to her. Three factors that made the situation unbearable.

But he was here for an answer, for a solid plan, for an idea of what to do next. And for that, Tracey was willing to risk his comfort and possibly his life.

…

"Sabrina?"

Her strikingly cold eyes met his.

He froze. At any minute he could have sworn she would've devoured his soul.

_Well, it was nice knowing everyone…_

He slapped his palms together above his head and began praying in mantras.

"_**Answer me, Tracey…**_"

"_H-Huh?"_

He stopped and looked towards her.

"_I – I mean,_ y-yes?" he foolishly tried to give a confident tone.

"_**Why did you tell me this story?**_"

"Wh-Why? _… um… wh-why not?_ Isn't it important? Pivotal? Dire information that we need to consider before we charge in there head-first?"

"_**That is not what I asked. I asked why you told me this story. Specifically me.**_"

Tracey scratched his neck in nervousness. "W-Well everyone who didn't go to that private meeting already knows. A-And I also told Dawn."

"_**Again. That is not what I asked. Why did you tell me this story, Tracey? What is it that you seek?**_"

"I –"

"_**Know this, Tracey Sketchit: I already know what you are going to say long before you dare utter the vowels. Your mind is slow. Your speech is slurred. And you are desperately grasping for answers that even I would not be ready for.**_"

Sabrina softly disabled her levitation and stood menacingly over him.

"_**You think that we are the ones running blindly by not knowing these facts. But do you even know what you ask? Do you even know what you seek from this?**_"

Tracey was no longer confident, not even falsely so. He was on the floor, crawling backwards.

Despite his original conviction, he was now regretting ever coming here. He was regretting having ever known the Psychic. She was a greater nightmare than any of the enemies they had fought or struggled against. What they could have done to any of their group, she would have done _ten-fold _against them.

He wasn't even glad she was on their side… because at this moment, she seemed to only be an authority of her own court, judge, and jury.

Sabrina stared down at him, showing neither pity nor mercy in her eyes. If anything, she showed a _deadly curiosity_.

"_**You wish for me to stop a fate that is not mine to control. You wish for me to break a will greater than that of a god that created the universe I walk on. And not only that…**_" The Psychic's eyes softened. She looked abnormally _human_. "…you wish for me to stop and hurt a friend who has done nothing to earn my wrath."

'_Friend' _was not a word Tracey imagined to be in the terrifying Psychic's vocabulary. Yet there it was. Used to describe Ash – the one he had been rallying everyone to go against… to prevent him from making another selfish choice.

Sabrina's eyes turned cold and sharp again. "_**Who are you to judge who is selfish and who is not? You have lived your life well, Tracey Sketchit. Many others have lived shorter lives, died in horrific ways, and forced to continue existing in worlds that offer nothing but misery. Yet you do not wish him to make a decision to change the fate of the universe… all because you are selfish of your own. All because you have not lived it well enough to find maturity. All because you have not learned enough to greet death with confidence.**_"

They Psychic slowly levitated off the ground, her hair splitting and turning like snakes, and her eyes showing nothing but _devastation_. "_**It was Sato who Arceus had given its power to. The power to change the universe. Things do not happen on coincidence in any realm or dimension, artist. All things have purpose. And it was Sato's decision to do as he did – and it was willed to be.**_

"_**And in the same way, fate is working itself to give Ash the same choice, decision, and power. The burden and responsibility of a god with all the weaknesses of a human. Who are we to judge? Who are you to judge if they had not chosen you? You are insignificant in this game the fates play. Just a pawn who believes they are the king.**_"

She bent down towards him. Her eyes far too close for him to avoid.

"_**Run along now, peon. You know not what you truly want. Do not trouble others with wishes that contain consequences you could never grasp.**_"

Fearful tears were running down Tracey's eyes.

In all his life, he had never felt _so small_.

He wanted to run. To run away from any existence that Sabrina walked on and never come back.

But his legs wouldn't move.

"**P-PLEASE! S-SPARE ME! I-I'M SORRY! I-I NEVER MEANT ANY OF TH-THOSE THINGS! I KNEW NOT WHAT I WANTED! I KNEW NOT!"**

…

Sabrina gave a completely unfitting smile of innocence and patted Tracey on the cheek. "Good."

She landed softly on the ground and walked back to her meditation spot.

"Now be a good boy and fetch me Latias. _I'd like to see this past for myself…_"

Tracey bowed repeatedly against the dirt. "Y-Yes ma'am! R-Right away ma'am!"

The sketch-artist stood up and ran off as fast as his legs could take him.

…

Sabrina giggled to herself, her voice becoming far more casual and relaxed. "I know it was a little mean. But that's not important right now. Where's the device?"

Leaning against a tree, she pulled an item down from its branches and sat back down in excitement.

"_Let's see…_ she was on her way to Charicific Valley… _page forty, I think…_"

**Rustle.**

"That's a good page!"

"Angie, get back in the tree. Someone might see you here."

The tomboy hung upside-down. "Why do I have to keep hiding? We're out in the middle of nowhere."

"And Tracey still managed to find us. If May or Anabel find you here, I'm not saving you." Sabrina scrolled through the icons on the screen.

Angie stared at her curiously – still upside-down. "Now that I think about it… I thought you said that Psychics were bad for gadgets!"

"It's just a popular myth we like to spread around." The Psychic flicked her finger against the screen, causing sudden **blurts of static** to shadow the screen. "We can interfere with the electricity like so, but it's not as if we have no control over it."

The tomboy crawled back into the leaves, her voice muffling under cover. _"So why spread the myth?"_

"One, it's useful. Makes people fear us more." Sabrina flipped through another virtual page. "Two, it's fun to see what kinds of things people will believe about us Psychics. And three, it's because I knew May would write a diary in here if she got it."

"_Whoah! You knew she'd get the pokétab?"_

"Educated guess. She was the best dressed of us in that group. Bill tends to judge by outward appearances. Probably assumed she'd be the one to take care of it the best."

Angie laughed. _"Yeah right! That thing's practically busted because of her! She fell on it like three times yesterday!"_

"Four times."

"_I only counted three."_ She shrugged.

…

…

"_By the way, Sabrina… do you think all that past universe stuff is true? The stuff Tracey was talking about?"_

"Anything's possible. And it didn't seem he was lying in his mind. Plus, he'd have no reason to lie about those things."

Angie groaned in frustration. _"Man! I should've gone with Ash's group! I wanted to see what I looked like in a past universe!"_

Sabrina gave a small laugh. "You don't seem troubled at all that Ash could be leading us to repeat history."

"_Does it matter? What happens – happens. Besides, all that makes me concerned about is who that Maya chick is…"_

"And what would you do if it was any of our companions?"

"_Nothing different."_ Angie stretched and kicked her legs into the branches. _"Be there for Ash. Hang out with him. Wait for him."_

"Whoever this Maya is, I honestly do believe you're still the best choice for Ash." Sabrina flipped through another screen page, her eyes showing great interest on the scenes unfolding in May's diary.

Angie blushed. _"Oh quit it. I don't need those kinds of compliments…__** even if it is true.**__"_ She grinned.

…

"_How about you Sabrina?"_

"Hm?"

"_What do you think of Ash?"_

"He's a good friend."

"…_that's it?"_

"Should there be anything more than that?"

"_Well…"_

**Rustle.**

Angie hung back upside-down.

"You two get along so well together. And you spend more time with him than most of us."

Sabrina flipped the device over her lap and looked up to the hanging tomboy. "Is there something culturally incorrect in my relation with him?"

"Well no… I'm just wondering if you ever… well, _considered it_."

"He's a bit young for me."

"I didn't think you'd be the type to care about age."

…

The Psychic shrugged. "_You'd be correct. _And I admit I _have_ thought about it."

Angie let go of the branches and landed with a roll. "That's so cute!"

"C-Cute?" Sabrina blushed.

"So why haven't you?"

"Wh-Why haven't I?"

The tomboy crossed her arms and laughed. "You're the Psychic here. You **know** what I'm referring to."

…

"Ash is a good friend… but he also attracts trouble. He would complicate many things if I ever got involved with him… so I do not. Simple as that."

Angie sat next to her. "So… not even a thought beyond that? Not even a _'what if'_?"

"I have only thought about it twice. To think anymore than that would be wasteful to my time. Ash is a good friend. If anything, I see him as a younger brother that I cherish."

"Ah, I see."

…

…

Sabrina turned back towards the tomboy. "Why do you ask, Angie?"

"Can't you read my mind or something?"

"I have no reason to pry a mind that is honest with their mouth."

The tomboy leaned back and used the tree's bark to scratch her back. "I just thought that if anyone deserved him other than me, it'd be you."

"I would agree to that."

Angie laughed loudly in response. "You're not much for modesty, are you?"

"No reason to hide positive facts."

…

"So just to be sure… you are **NOT** interested in Ash?"

"No."

"Okay."

…

…

"Why? _Did he say anything about me?_"

Angie laughed again. "You're like a little girl!"

Sabrina's face turned red. "I – _**I am not**_!"

"You so are!"

The Psychic _shoved_ the tomboy back up the tree with a single _thought_.

"_**Ow!**__ Hey!"_

"_**Shush.**_ Tracey's coming back." She threw the device upwards, allowing Angie or the branches to catch it for her.

"_Ooh! Are you going to see the past using your Psychic stuff?"_

"_**I said be quiet.**_ And yes."

Angie hushed into a whisper. _"I'm jealous. I want to see."_

"I'll make a Psychic link with you after I dismiss Tracey, so you can see it too."

"_Awesome! You're the best, Sabrina!"_

"_**Hush now.**_ And I know."

…

"-aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!**"

Tracey hung on for his life, as the Eon Pokémon sped into lightning speeds to throw the sketch artist off her back.

Sabrina sighed. "Perhaps I should not have asked him to do this request…"

"_At least he's aiming her in the right direction."_ Angie snickered in response.

* * *

><p>Two charizards flapped slowly to the ground below. Adjusting their angle to avoid the trees, they landed into awkward standing positions.<p>

Liza met them with a nod.

Using the short-phrased gestures she had taught them, the charizards reported their recent flight.

The Valley Guardian quietly watched in professional interest.

"Are these the patrols?" Solana approached carefully from behind, well aware of how paranoid most of her new teammates were. "I thought there were three in every team."

"Hm?" Liza turned and regarded the Pokémon Ranger. "No, these are returning charizards. They were the ones that returned the Psychics we saved in the Orange Isles."

"Returned?"

"To their homes… though they said that the Psychics asked to be dropped off near Goldenrod City. A strange place for a Psychic to call home, if you ask me."

Liza returned her attention back to the two charizards, giving them silent commands.

They nodded and readied for their next flight destination.

"Your charizards really are something." Solana admired.

"I wouldn't exactly consider them mine. I only would call them mine if I referred to them as family." Liza walked over to a patch of long grass and fell back onto it.

A trio of small pidgeys scattered away from her landing spot.

"They're wild charizards." she continued. "At least, they should be. So I wouldn't say they're owned by me. I just protect them from those they that can't communicate with."

"I understand." Solana raised her Capture Styler and gave a friendly smile. "We Pokémon Rangers don't capture pokémon – we only ask for their help."

Liza nodded. "I feel like that's the way it should be. Nothing against Pokémon Trainers, I just think that many of them don't understand how privileged they are to work with such wonderful creatures. You don't need poké balls, you just need their trust – and they'd be willing to do anything for a partner that's worth it."

"Very true. The charizards must trust you very much."

"I lived with them, so it's only natural."

"_Mm…_ I'm sorry you had to leave."

"Hm?"

"The Charicific Valley."

"Yes, well…" Liza tilted her head back and stared at the leaves above. "_…it couldn't be helped._"

The Pokémon Ranger sat next to her and stretched her legs. "Do you… _ever feel like you were dragged into this?_"

"This mission?"

"Yeah…" The teal-haired woman laid back into the grass. "I know I felt like I was suddenly dragged into this crazy mission… but I don't mind since I do indeed want to stop Team Rocket from getting their hands on Arceus."

"I feel the same way…"

"But for you, it was different. I wasn't directly involved, and I could have said no. Even if they took me or threatened anyone else, it still would have been my choice." Solana paused slightly. She gathered her thoughts as she stared at the passing afternoon clouds. "But for you… it felt like since you had your obligations to your charizards' safety, that you had no choice but to follow Ash and the rest.

"I know this is all for a worthy cause. But wouldn't it not have happened at all if Ash… or should I say _'Sato'_, never restarted all this?"

Liza smiled and let off a small snicker. "Been talking to Tracey lately?"

"Well yeah, _but…_"

"Don't listen to him too much." She gave quiet signals to a trio of flying charizards above. "The man makes good points, but he isn't very good for morale."

She sighed before continuing, "We shouldn't be fighting each other. We should be helping one another. And besides… I'm still not fully sold on this whole _'restarted universe'_ story."

"You don't think it actually happened?"

"I can't say for sure if it really happened or not, but an idea like that sounds far too crazy to be true." Liza shrugged. "Then again, the idea that a pokémon created this entire universe is pretty crazy-sounding too."

Solana nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I guess. But I donno… I think it might be true. Ash and his group get into some pretty unbelievable situations."

"Heard some of their stories? Or were you actually there for some?" the scarred woman asked with interest and skepticism.

"Well, I certainly was there for some of them. But haven't you seen the news and newspaper pieces on them? It's no surprise the boy's so popular amongst Pokémon Trainers."

"Oh… _um…_" Liza laughed in embarrassment. "Call me a bit of a hermit. I don't actually know much that goes around outside of Charicific Valley. At least, nothing that my friend Clair doesn't tell me."

"Well, have you seen that rock that Ash has?"

"That's a meteorite piece, right?"

"Yeah. That came from a little venture after we found an alien pokémon." Solana was quite proud of that memory – as very few would ever be able to have an experience like that.

"Alien pokémon? As in, from another planet?"

"Not sure if from another planet. But it got here by a meteor. That little rock Ash carries came from that very meteor."

Liza rolled over and looked at Solana in interest. "Really?"

The Ranger grinned with pride. "Yep! That's definitely not a normal occurrence for me. Add in all the other adventures he had with the rest of the group here, and honestly I'm not too surprised Ash would be involved in something this huge."

"Well if you put it that way, I guess it makes sense."

They went quiet. Thoughts and plans running through and changing in their minds.

…

…

"So…" Solana broke the silence. "…does that change anything for you?"

"I don't believe so. I still wouldn't blame him for what happened to the charizards – that should have been a proper concern of mine with or without his involvement. It was my responsibility, I failed, and I learned from it." Liza rolled onto her back again. "If all this really revolves around Ash, then I'll help him in any way that I can. I'm not in the right position to complain or argue. What Ash chooses, whether good or bad, weighs on his shoulders – not ours. But we can help him carry his own weight, at the very least."

"Wise words, truly."

The Valley Guardian snickered. "I don't think anyone has ever called me wise!"

"With age comes wisdom."

Liza's face turned aggressive. "_You better not be calling me old._"

"_N-N-No_, of course not!" Solana sweated in nervousness. "J-Just aged. Like fine wine."

"Why thank you." She seemed satisfied. _"…why don't we have any wine around here?"_

"Because we hang out with kids."

They laughed together.

…

"Tell you what. If we get out of this alive, I'm buying us drinks."

"I'll keep you to that, Solana."

"Call me Lana."

"Very well, Lana." Liza smiled. "Call me starving… Let's go get something to eat."

* * *

><p>"Well what do you want me to do about it?" Casey blew a bubble and popped it.<p>

She sat casually on a tree branch, reading her borrowed book as her electabuzz roamed the area nearby. Her entire day was spent reading in this position, and she was quite content with it. And she would have spent it like so if Ash hadn't arrived. His appearance made her slightly annoyed, as it signaled the fact that she might have to do something important soon.

Her guess was correct, as he was here for _another_ serious talk.

Ash sat at the bottom of the tree, rolling the black marble against his jeans' wrinkles. "I just thought that since you were the one that explained everything for me back at Alto Mare… that you could help me with this."

"Look, I'm busy. You got me addicted to this stupid book. Go bother someone else until I'm done."

"_Okay okay…_" He grabbed the marble and put it back in his pocket.

…

"Wait."

Just as Ash had predicted.

The baseball fan may have been far more intelligent than he had expected in the first place, but she was still immature. As such, Ash knew she loved the attention and his dependence on her wisdom.

No longer a separate thought or emotion, Sabrina's _bond_ was slowly becoming a part of his personality, allowing him to analyze situations and people in a dreadfully intelligent manner.

"Hm?" Ash turned and acted surprised.

"So this is about Misty, right?" Casey closed the book and hopped off the branch, completely forgetting her earlier irritation.

"Yeah. She's definitely Maya." Ash sat back down and leaned against the tree.

"And you're one-hundred-percent sure about this?"

"She saw the same vision that I did, except from her side. And she even recognizes my name as Sato even though she didn't come with us."

"Did anyone tell her about the journey we had?"

"I don't think so… unless _one of you broke your promise to me_." Ash emphasized with _curiosity_.

Casey_ panicked_. "N-No!"

He stood up and stepped towards the lying girl. "You… **you told them?**"

"What? I never said that!"

"**I'M. AN. EMPATHIC.**" Ash pointed at himself with each word. "I **KNOW** when someone's lying!"

"_Ah… er… ahh… I…"_

Her mind and heart were in _complete chaos_. It was obvious to Ash that she _wasn't used to getting caught _red-handed.

"Y-You see the thing _i-is… uh…_"

"Casey. Why did you tell them?"

"**B-Balk!** Not fair! Y-You're supposed to be our pitcher! I mean our leader!" She _struggled_ to put words together in both her mind and voice. "Y-You're trying to f-fake a throw when you know we can make a double play! But you're just too scared of the batter's ribbie!"

"W-What?"

"M-Maybe if you just worked with us better, we could show you how much leather we got!"

"…what?"

Casey looked _frazzled_. She wasn't used to being _cornered_. With her mind in a_ daze_, her normally thought-kept baseball terms poured itself into her actual speech.

She was about to go on, when Ash put his hands on her shoulders.

"Casey, _calm down_. I can't understand what you're saying."

"**C-Calm down?** Y-You're the one that –"

"Look, whatever you're going to say, I won't understand a single thing. So… _deep breath in, deep breath out._"

She _glared_ at him…

But did as he instructed.

_Deep breath in._

_Deep breath out._

…

"Okay, try again." Ash said with a patient smile.

Casey smacked his hands off her shoulders and took a step back.

"What I was trying to say is… you're the one leading this group. They kept asking and asking about what happened on our little trip to Alto Mare. _So…_ I told them."

"**Why?**"

"**Why shouldn't I?**" She stepped towards him and pushed her finger against his chest. "What kind of team would be willing to follow someone who won't tell them the truth? I know you're scared that we might not want to follow some idiot that restarted the universe just because he couldn't handle a loss that everyone had to experience at some point in their lives! But maybe, **just maybe**! Some of us would understand! And maybe, **just maybe**! Some of us would figure out a way to make sure that wouldn't happen again!"

Casey folded her arms and tapped her foot in _irritation_. "There were six in that team! You – the Aura Guardian, the Empathic, the Fighter, the Pokémon Master, the Researcher, and the Psychic! Counting the lucario and espeon and that would be eight! Now count how many we have here!"

She counted off with her fingers – as if he could see. "Me, you, Ritchie, Misty, May, Maylene, Tracey, Todd, Dawn, Sabrina, Liza, Bianca, Angie, Anabel, and Salon!"

"Solana."

"**Whatever!** We've already got a lucario, and an espeon on this team. And how many more pokémon on our team? Not just that! NOT JUST THAT! But we have **HOW MANY** Empathics on this team now?"

"That's…"

"That's right! You, May, and Anabel! Three Empathics.** THREE! **Three Empathics in a team of **FIFTEEN!**"

Casey let it sink in before continuing, "So maybe only six or seven of us really count at the end of all of this, but all fifteen of us are going to do our best! Why keep the secret between our small little group when we could **ALL** do something about it?"

Ash, while feeling _far more relieved_, didn't seem fully convinced by her reasoning.

"So… _Did any of you_ figure out anything?" he raised his brow.

"Well no. But we at least know what we're facing now! We could at least try to change it instead of just finding out when it's too late!"

The male Empathic sighed.

…

"What?" Casey was getting annoyed by his solemn attitude.

"Tell me, did telling them even encourage anyone? Did it make any of them more unsure of what we were doing?"

"_Well…" _

She began mumbling.

"What_** about**_ Tracey?" Ash didn't hear, but he could sense her _vague emotions_.

"T-Tracey's going around asking people what they should do… _about you_."

…

Ash walked over to the nearest tree and **slammed** his head into it.

"H-Hey!_ Quit it!_" Casey tried to pull him away from the tree.

He successfully **slammed** his head twice more before being completely pulled to the ground.

Before she could say anything, Ash got up to his feet and started walking away.

"Wh-Where do you think you're going?"

"To talk to someone else."

"That's not fair!" She tackled him to the floor. "You're just going to make me feel guilty and not let me do anything about it?"

He struggled to get her off. "If you hadn't done it in the first place, you would have nothing to feel guilty about!"

She sat on his back and pinned down his elbows. "If you had told them yourself, they might have taken the news better! There's nothing wrong with any news, just how it's told, you idiot!"

"Are you trying to lecture me over how to lead this group?"

"**Maybe I am!** What of it?"

Ash stopped struggling.

…

…

Casey poked him. "Hey idiot."

…

"What's wrong, idiot?"

"_Can I just… talk to Angie already?_" he muffled quietly against the grass.

Casey suddenly felt awful. "Hey… _I'm sorry._"

"_Please, just get off…"_

She let go of him and stepped out of the way.

Ash stood. Wiping something away from his eyes, he took a step towards the trees.

"I **really am** sorry, Ash. _I… I didn't mean it that way._"

He didn't turn her way. "_Look, I'm just bad at this leader stuff…_ I don't know what's best for the whole group. _I don't really know what I'm doing._ All I know is that I'm supposed to stop Team Rocket… I don't really have anything else planned. Honestly, I don't know if there's anything I can do to save Maya… And if losing her again, whoever she is, is what it takes to save this universe… I'll do it. _I don't want to. But I will._ I was given a second chance… I can at least make it count."

"Don't get all pity-party on me, Ash. I said I was sorry, and I meant it. _Besides…_ you're not doing this alone."

"_You're not going to lose anyone at the end of this, Case._ Someone who you just remembered you had made the biggest decision in the universe just to keep… only to forget who she was, and lose her the moment you remember…"

Casey didn't know what to say. She didn't know what she could or should say. Or if she had any right to.

_Would sacrificing one man's happiness, a man who had the power to change everything, be worth saving the billions who would never fully appreciate their own? Who was being selfish? The one who chose the option to make sure no one would be lost, or the many who just want him to give up his choice just so they could keep their current standing in life?_

These felt like the novels she used to read… this felt like the novel she was already reading. _Commander of Wartortles_. The Commander had to give up everything he had just to save his crew. A man whose life had become hollow compared to what it used to be, just so he could see the happiness grow and bloom in the lives of his crew.

…_how ungrateful were the crew when the Commander first lost what had meant the most to him? How little did they know what went through the lonely man's heart and mind? He gave everything, and yet they continued to demand from him as though he still owed them more._

_He wasn't the best leader, and he never would be. But where he was lacking in skill, he had spirit. He did the job no one else wanted to do – he sacrificed what no one else was willing to give up… and in the end…_

…she hadn't finished the book yet.

_Would it be worth it? Would all their struggles and all his sacrifices be worth it in the end?_

_It could never bring back what the Commander lost, but at the very least, the crew could give up everything they had for their leader in return._

Casey wiped a tear from her eye, spit out her gum, and bowed.

"**I apologize, captain!**" she shouted with formal respect. "It wasn't in my place to make that decision to tell the rest! I-I'll make sure that morale is kept high in the team! I'll let them know that you aren't doing this for yourself!"

Ash turned towards her. _"Casey…"_

She stood straight and faced him. "Y-You're just trying to keep everyone happy! I notice it, sir! You're always going around trying to talk to everyone and seeing how they are! Even at your own expense! And… _And while we were all talking about the secret we saw at Alto Mare…_"

Turning away, a feeling of _guilt_ filled her. "I – I never mentioned it before, but I saw what was happening in the woods in your private meeting! I have good eyes like that… _I'm sorry for spying_. But I just want to say it was **very honorable** of you to sacrifice your own health to help Anabel!"

Ash felt her emotions in_ curiosity_. Her mood had changed _completely_. An overwhelming aura of _loyalty_ and _pride_ surrounded the area where she stood.

"**You can do it, sir!**" Casey bowed again. "**I know you can lead us!** _And… if it means anything_, I think Misty might have been Maya at one point, but since she's not an Empathic anymore, I don't think her life will be taken away in this universe. _…but…_ **I will do my best to protect May for you, sir! I'll make sure Maya's fate doesn't happen to her either!**"

Straightening her back, she saluted him.

…

…

Ash wasn't sure if he was supposed to laugh or cry at her extremely dramatic show of _apology_ and _devotion_. Whatever reaction he could have given, he was sure of one thing: he appreciated it greatly.

He walked over to Casey and hugged her.

Her body was extremely stiff as she awkwardly hugged him back.

"_Thanks, Case."_

"N-No problem, sir."

"That sounds weird."

"So does you calling me Case, sir."

"If I stop calling you _'Case'_, will you stop calling me _'sir'_?"

"Unlikely… sir."

…

He pulled away from the hug and saluted. "Then thanks for the talk, Case. I'll see you later."

She saluted back. "**Anytime, sir!** I m-may not be the best when it comes to understanding you – but I can always offer you my perspective. It's not much, _but I know you appreciate it_ – and that humbles me, sir."

Ash blushed at the respect he was given.

He gave a slight bow and ran off.

…

…

Casey fell to her knees and let out a large sigh. _"What did I just do?"_


	28. Chapter 28 Others

"A – A little help?"

Ritchie was pulled out of the swarm of pokémon by a helping hand.

The auburn-haired Trainer fell to the ground with a loud **THUMP**.

"_Oww…_ thanks, Todd."

The photographer Todd Snap gave a thumbs-up to his rescued acquaintance before taking several pictures of the blurring scene of extremely active pokémon.

"So why are all these pokémon here?" Todd asked as he continued his photography.

"_Ah, well…"_ Ritchie climbed to his feet and patted the grass stains off his vest and pants. "Everyone's been so busy worrying about their own big worries about the upcoming mission… so I thought _'hey, why not just offer to take care of their pokémon for them? Not only will they get a huge relief, but their pokémon will be happy and I'll get to hang out with them! Not a bad idea at all!'_…"

He laughed in embarrassment. "It didn't seem like a bad idea until I found myself completely surrounded by them."

Todd scanned the view for more shots.

_I could get a picture of that marill eating the fruit… it could definitely get the front of a women's or pokémon's health and diet magazine._

_That kricketot and meganium playing would make a great fashion reference photo…_

_Ooh, or maybe that venonat and scyther hiding in the bushes! The right angle would make it great for a Safari Zone or Poké Ball Hunters ad._

_Then again that butterfree with the beautifly would catch the attention of anyone for those Bug Pokémon Enthusiast magazines… if I submit it in the right season, I could get a pretty high price, or even an award._

_Or…_

_No. That one!_

Todd hopped over several pokémon to get to the perfect position.

Falling flat onto his stomach, he switched to the wide-angle lens and propped his camera onto a small tripod.

"_That's it…"_ he whispered to himself as he chose between his viewfinders to get the perfect low angle shot. _"…just keep at it, everyone's eyes are on you two…"_

Towering above his spot, two pokémon dueled each other for supremacy.

On one side, a furious tyranitar. On the opposing, a cool-headed charizard.

They **slammed **palms and heads onto each other, **growling **and** roaring** to show their strength.

Todd grinned to himself in pure exhilaration. _This'll be the perfect picture for the upcoming Pokémon Championship seasonal Guides! Come on, just hold that pose-! Aaaand-!_

Right as his finger let loose of the shutter release, the draconic battlers turned towards the camera with pulled, squished, and twisted faces.

…

The energy and color from Todd's once-enthusiastic face drained.

"_Why…"_ he muttered in hushed agony.

The two pokémon were smacked in the head by a rolled newspaper. "**Zippo! Cruise!** That was very rude!"

Ritchie scolded his mischief-making pokémon with a stern attitude. "Apologize right now!"

With a sigh, the pokémon bowed in apology and continued their play elsewhere.

Offering his hand with a smile, Ritchie helped Todd to his feet.

"Sorry about that, those two love to ruin photo sessions."

Still slightly hurt at his lost prize, Todd gave a weak smile back. "It's okay. It isn't the first time I lost the perfect shot." He sighed. "_I really thought I could get into the PCG for autumn with that photo though…_"

"The PCG? **Cool!** I didn't know you worked for such a prestigious magazine! I buy at least two copies every year." The Pokémon Trainer pulled at his empty pockets. "Though at my _'salary'_ I can't ever afford a full subscription."

"Oh no, no." The photographer pulled out a business card and handed it to the Trainer. "I'm a Freelance Photographer. People usually hire me for commissioned Pokémon photos, but I also sell my own pictures to several newspapers, websites, magazines, and even some books!"

"Wow, so you must travel a lot!"

"Sure do. Just me and my camera on the open road!" He posed dramatically. "Through the most dangerous jungles, within the deepest oceans, atop the highest mountains, and even in the worst temperatures and terrains – _**Todd Snap will go and take the best photographs your money can pay for!**_"

He stopped posing and smiled. "I don't always do it for money. Though it's nice to have it for food and lodging."

Ritchie tilted his head in curiosity. "Just you and your camera? No pokémon?"

"Nope. Todd Snap works alone."

"That's rare these days! Especially for your profession!" The Trainer patted one of the nearby pokémon on the head. "Most people love the security and company a pokémon brings. I don't know how long it's been since I've met someone with no pokémon at all!"

"I'm quite good at my craft. I don't particularly need a pokémon for safety – as I'm often running and hiding more than fighting." Todd posed with his camera, pretending to take shots. "With my excellent eyes and ears, I can spot and capture any object, creature, or scenery without ever facing trouble!"

"_Hm…_ but don't you ever get lonely?"

"Lonely?" He scratched his chin as he thought about it. "I suppose sometimes. But a technique I learned during all my journeys really helps me forget that I'm alone until I reach the nearest town. And when I'm in town, I can start a conversation with anyone with my photos. A picture says a thousand words, you know." He gave a charming grin.

"Technique?" Ritchie sat in the grass, always interested in learning from anyone he meets along the way.

Todd made a wave-like gesture with his hand. "The technique of immersion~…"

"Immersion?"

"No." He made the wave-like gesture again. "Immersion~…"

Ritchie gave a light laugh at the photographer's dramatic pronunciation.

Unaffected by the laughter, Todd continued his explanation, "Immersion~ is when a photographer blends in with the environment. **But that's just one step!** Once that step is mastered, the second step is where immersion~ really kicks in!"

He hopped onto his belly again and felt the grass and dirt with his fingers. "You must not only blend with the environment… you must also become _one with it_."

"One… with it?" Ritchie got on his belly as well and mimicked the photographer's actions.

"You mustn't just feel the environment…" Todd took a deep breath. "You must _smell it, taste it, feel its air's texture in your throat_."

The Trainer copied this as well.

"You must listen to the wind, every small sound, every large sound – high pitch, low pitch – long and short…" His eyes opened wide. "Then you must see everything. Every color. **EVERY **color. Every light, every shade, every black and white, as well as every blur, lining, silhouette, texture, gleam, and haze."

Ritchie nodded with complete concentration.

"After all this, you clear your mind. The touch, the feel, the taste, the smell, the sound, and the sight become your senses. Your body is no longer your focus – the entire world around you has become your body. When the wind blows – that's your breath, when the earth shakes – that's your fingertip, when a creature makes a sound – that's your voice, and when the light fades and changes – that's your eye."

Todd relaxed his body and slowly put the camera in front of him.

…

A venonat amongst the group of active pokémon hopped from one bush to another.

Before it could reach its hidden destination, Todd flipped onto his back immediately and took three quick photographs with lightning fast shutter speed.

"**And there.** You're now a part of the environment."

"_Whoah…_" Ritchie showed complete wonder for the photographer's skill.

"And that's not even the final part of immersion~!" Todd grinned with a hint of arrogance.

"What's the final part?" The Trainer regretted not bringing his backpack from the sanctuary. _I could've taken notes…_

The Professional Photographer peered into his camera and aimed it at a single pokémon – the lens followed its every step and movement. "The final lesson of immersion~ _is to find a target and follow it_…"

His body turned perfectly still. "Your body is no longer your body – and your environment is no longer your environment. Your target is now your body. Their thoughts are your thoughts now. Their actions are your actions. Their legs, their head, their eyes, are now yours… you are no longer yourself, you are now them…"

"_That's intense…"_ Ritchie whispered as if it were taboo if someone overheard them.

"With immersion~ you not only can spend WEEKS in a single position… but you also lose all thought and feeling of yourself. How can you be alone if the whole world is your body and soul? _How can you be alone if the world doesn't find itself alone?_"

Ritchie nodded. "That's deep."

Todd peeked away from his camera and grinned at the Trainer. "I'm looking into getting into some poetry too." He laughed. "Maybe I can get a girlfriend if I can work on my words…"

He focused his camera on a wandering Casey. She looked in conflict with herself as she grumbled and kicked at the grass. Her electabuzz followed nervously behind.

Todd smirked.

"You'd have time for a girlfriend?"

Ritchie's words snapped Todd out of his immersion~, causing slight irritation.

He sighed. "Well, maybe I don't right now. But a man's got to settle down someday, right?"

"I suppose."

Ritchie smiled as he gazed into a different direction of the deep woods… catching a glance of Solana playing with Plusle.

"How about you, Ritchie? You got a girlfriend? Or time for one?"

"Got one?" He blushed. "N-No way. N-Not yet at least. As for time for one? Well… I guess I wouldn't mind having one as a travelling partner."

He continued to watch Solana with distant infatuation.

She caught his glimpse and looked at him in curiosity.

Ritchie panicked and turned away, pretending to have been looking at the beautiful scenery. _…very beautiful scenery._

"**Pfah!**" Todd's mocking exclamation startled some of the pokémon. "Ash must have a harem of travelling partners."

"Y-Yeah." The trainer laughed nervously, uncomfortable with negative gossip.

"Seriously, leave some for the other men in the world!" Todd frowned as his camera zoomed in on Casey, who hid behind a tree to spy on Ash and Angie conversing. _"Figures…"_ he quietly growled.

"Did you say something?" Ritchie turned towards him.

"Me? Nah." He put his camera away as he slowly got up to stand. "So… is this all the pokémon we have? It's quite an army."

Ritchie looked around. He explained with an expert focus to detail, "Well, no. Liza takes care of her charizards and won't let anyone near them until it's time for us to travel again… Dawn wouldn't hand me her poké balls, so she still has them. Maylene is training with her pokémon somewhere. I can't find Misty, so I can't take care of her pokémon. Anabel left her Metagross and Alakazam with me, but I can't find her espeon… I think she went off to play with Ash's pikachu again."

He stood up and studied each pokémon, trying to remember who each one belonged to. "Angie kept her Luxio, but left her Bibarel and Kricketot with me… There's no way I can catch Latias, let alone tell between her and Bianca… _Let's see_… Casey kept her Electabuzz, but left the rest with us… May let her Glaceon and Venusaur roam the woods, but I'm taking care of her other ones…

"I'm not sure if I want to ask Sabrina for her pokémon…" He laughed nervously. "…and Solana…"

Ritchie found himself gazing off into her direction again.

"She has her Plusle… _she takes very good care of him…_"

"Man, you remembered everyone's pokémon! That's impressive!" Todd patted him on the back. "You're like a Day Care Center!"

"Y-Yeah I guess." He blushed in shyness.

The photographer leaned in close and whispered into his ear, "_You know… that Angie girl's the daughter of a Day Care couple in Solaceon Town._" He hinted with a nudge, "_So, if you're into that kind of business, you could always woo the daughter…_"

"_Eheheh…_" Ritchie stepped away awkwardly. "N-No thank you. Kinda' interested in someone else…"

"**Oh?** Who's that?" Todd smirked and raised a brow.

"N-No one here! N-No one here at all!" He laughed uneasily.

He felt a pat on his back – though Todd was in front of him.

"**Awww**, and here I thought I'd hear some good gossip!" Solana said from behind.

She looked at each of the pokémon with genuine care and happiness.

"These pokémon are so well looked-after, Ritchie! _You're really good with them_!"

Leaning close to him and poking him on the shoulder, she gave a friendly grin. "_You know… I heard that Angie worked at a Day Care back at her home. I think you two would make quite a cute couple._"

Plusle hopped onto her shoulder and pointed towards the sanctuary in earnest.

"Okay okay." she regarded her partner with a giggle. "Well guys, I gotta' go. Plusle here wants us to find Pikachu and Espeon. See ya'!"

"See you later, Solana." Todd bid her a temporary farewell as he cleaned his camera's lenses.

…

…

…

Ritchie felt like dying.

* * *

><p>"Yeah, Maylene's lucario has been looking everywhere for you, apparently."<p>

"Lucario? Why would he be looking for me?"

Angie shrugged. "_Mm._ No clue… …funny thing is, Maylene was looking for her lucario and asked if he ran into you yet."

"That's weird." Ash felt for the next branch above him and grabbed onto it. He swung back and forth, testing the strength of the tree. "So where have you been all day?"

"_Mm. _Nowhere."

"With Sabrina." He _felt_ her out.

"Cheater. I can't ever keep secrets from you." She swung slightly forward from her branch and kicked his foot.

"What in the world would you be doing that needs to be kept a secret from me?" Ash stuck his tongue out towards her.

"Oh **pff**! You have no right to say that. You have secret meetings all the time with Sabrina!"

Ash let go and landed with a nervous stance, still unused to not seeing where he'd land. "Well that's different. _Ow my leg…_ Her and I need _complete concentration_ and_ silence_ when we talk and train."

"Oh, and you just invited Maylene to that little private meeting _just because_, right?"

"_Hey hey hey_, Sabrina specifically asked for her to help with Anabel since she had experience with Team Rocket's new studies."

"Yeah I gue–"

"_**ANGIE!"**_ a roar came from their left.

"Crap! May's here! Why didn't you warn me?" Angie scrambled up into the branches.

Ash laughed. "Whoops! Guess I wasn't paying attention!"

"_You jerk! You owe me!"_

"_**ANGIE!"**_

The bandana'd Coordinator stormed out of the thick bushes and stomped towards the tree.

"**I KNOW YOU'RE UP THERE! GIVE ME BACK THE POKÉTAB!"**

"_I – I don't have it!"_

"**LIAR!"**

"_I – I promise! I let Sabrina borrow it!"_

May's face showed confusion. "S-Sabrina? **ARE YOU CRAZY? SHE'S A PSYCHIC! SHE'LL BREAK IT!**"

"_**Worry not. Your device is fine.**_"

The Psychic shifted into their reality, holding out the pokétab to May.

May and Angie were _stunned_ by her sudden appearance. Ash didn't seem to panic.

_Weird… I knew you were coming…_

_**And I had sensed your presence before I arrived. Side-effects of our training. Nothing to concern over.**_ Sabrina responded to Ash's thought.

The Coordinator grabbed the device from her hand and held it close. "**My pokétab!** It's fine! Oh thank goodness it's fine!" She was about to cry from _exhausted happiness_.

"_Er… Excuse me, May but…"_

She pulled the pokétab away from her chest.

Bill's face was on the screen, with an awkward smile on his face.

"B-BILL?" May nearly dropped it out of complete embarrassment. "Oh! I – Er! Ah! Sorry! That was really –!"

"_D-Don't worry about it. I just called to announce something rather important."_

"Important?"

"_The news you were all waiting for. We found Team Rocket's main headquarters."_

Angie jumped from the tree and stumbled into a quick sprint, crashing over May's shoulder to look at the screen.

Ash took a step forward, wondering if his ears didn't mistake the too-good-to-be-true-news.

Sabrina's eyes narrowed, her thoughts returning to its _professional self_.

Casey appeared beside May, looking into the screen with complete interest.

…

_C-Casey? Where'd she come from?_ Ash was feeling absolutely blind for not having noticed when the baseball fan arrived.

_**Focus, Ash. This is important.**_ Sabrina knocked his attention back towards the pokétab.

Bill looked towards the new arrivals. _"I'm assuming you'll want to gather everyone for this news first?"_

"Definitely." Ash nodded. "I'll gather everyone."

"**Let me do it, sir!"** Casey raised her hand stiffly.

"_Sir_?" May looked towards her.

"**When did Casey get here?**" Angie jumped back in surprise.

"Please, sir! I know where at least six of them are!"

"Er… _okay?"_

Casey began stretching as if readying for a game. "If it's not too much to ask, sir – could you tell me where Misty, Bianca, Anabel, and Tracey are?"

"What's with the _'sir'_?" The Coordinator blinked at Ash.

He shrugged.

"_Um…_ Misty should be…" He thought hard… eventually pointing in a direction behind him. "Somewhere back there… near where trees get thicker in a diagonal line. _And… _Anabel was… _er…_"

"She's west of here." Todd walked towards them nonchalantly. "Bianca's trying to find Latias in the southeast. Though I have no idea where Tracey or Latias are."

Sabrina filled in the blanks. "_**I know where Latias is, and I know which direction Tracey had travelled towards. I shall get them.**_"

Casey readied herself for her run. "Alright! **Leave it up to me, sir!** I'll get the rest into the sanctuary before sundown!"

"It'd be faster if we split this up, I can look for –"

"**No thanks!** I got this!" Casey interrupted Todd's suggestion and began running.

"W-Wait up!" He chased after.

…

"Anybody else want to pop up out of nowhere?" Angie asked in irritation. "I wonder how many eavesdroppers we've got in this team…"

Sabrina _**glared**_ at both Angie and May.

The two laughed in nervousness.

Ash pushed Sabrina off balance, an action no one would ever dare to do. "Hey, you're guilty of eavesdropping too!"

"_Y-Yes… well…_" She rebalanced and coughed. "I must be off to find Latias and Tracey…"

The Psychic turned and vanished into thin air.

Angie was grinning. _"Heheh, so cute."_

The two Empathics blinked towards her. "Cute?"

"Nothing." She turned and started walking. "Anyways, let's get to the Sanctuary. I wanna' kick some Rocket butt already."

"Right." Ash followed.

May trailed closely behind.

* * *

><p>"So Ash…" Angie sat comfortably under a tree, leaning against him. "…what's this I hear about your little…<em>'vision'<em> back at Alto Mare?" She made sure to emphasize the word with quotation gestures.

He stiffened.

…

…

His voice turned _cold _and _deep_. "_**Where did you hear this? Casey? Misty?**_"

"Are you serious? Does everyone get to find out about this before I do?"

"I'm serious, Angie. _**Where did you hear this?**_"

She didn't seem intimidated. "Oh I didn't_ 'hear'_ anything. Bad choice of words on my part. I _'saw'_ it."

Ash turned towards her, knocking her off his shoulder. "**WHAT?**"

"_Shhhhh!_" The tomboy pushed his head down. "_May might hear._"

"She might know already." He sighed.

…

"**HEY MAY!"**

"_What?"_ she answered from the other side of the sanctuary without turning. The flowers occupying her attention.

"**DID YOU EVER FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED AT ALTO MARE?"**

Ash wanted to tackle her to keep her quiet. But her hand kept him pinned to a sitting position.

"_No! What did happen? And stop shouting so loud!"_

"**Oh! Um… they found Bianca and Latias there!"**

May turned… giving the tomboy an estranged look. _"Well yeah. I thought that was obvious!"_

"**Just making sure!"**

The Coordinator shrugged and went back to her flower collecting.

Angie turned towards Ash with a confident grin. "**There**, now we know she doesn't know."

The male Empathic gave a heavy sigh.

"What? It solved it."

"I guess… but… how did you see the vision?"

"Sabrina."

"**SABRINA?** She knows?"

"_I said ssshhhhh!"_ Angie leaned against him hard, squeezing him into the tree. "Be quiet already."

"_How does she know?"_ Ash hissed.

"Tracey. Tracey came to ask her if she'd do anything about you wanting to reset the universe again."

"_What? I never said I would!"_

"So… you're not going to? Even if it means Maya's going to… _you know_?"

"_I never said I wouldn't… …but wait, how could Sabrina see it from Tracey? He wasn't there with me! There's no way he would be able to know what any of it looked like."_

"Oh. Well, she made Tracey fetch Latias for her. So she saw it through her."

…

Ash nudged Angie off her, finding a comfortable sitting position to think.

"…_so then you asked Sabrina?"_

"I was with Sabrina." Angie gave an uncomfortable laugh. "I kinda' asked for her help to hide me from May. In exchange, I let her look through May's diary."

Ash buried his face into his hands and slowly dragged his fingers against his skin. He groaned. _"It's like a never-ending cycle of who did what…"_

"Well anyways, I was able to _'see' _what happened too. Latias showed me too. _Sato_."

…

Ash was _waiting_ for a reaction from her.

Nothing.

_I guess she wasn't from that past then…_

"_And what did you think?"_

"You were pretty handsome."

He blushed. _"N-Not what I meant. I meant what do you think of this whole restarting-universe business? And what do you think that we might be repeating it?"_

"Hm…" Angie rested her chin on Ash's shoulder. "What do I think? I don't really know. Should I think of something? I mean, will my idea really change anything?"

"…_so you're not planning on anything?"_

"Anything what? You mean like stopping you?"

"_W-Well… yeah, there's that."_

The tomboy punched his arm lightly. "You know I'm sticking by whatever decision you make, you jerk. _Just… make it count, okay?_"

Ash smiled.

…

"_Wait, how would any decision I make with a god pokémon not count?"_

"Dude, it's just a saying. Take it as an encouragement… or something. Whatever."

He laughed. She laughed with him shortly after.

…

"_So what was Sabrina's answer?"_

Angie blinked. "Sabrina's answer?"

"_Yeah. For Tracey. Is she planning on anything? You know, about me?"_

"You spent _HOW_ long with her and you wouldn't know what she'd say?"

"_Well… I dunno…"_

**Sigh.** "She scared Tracey off. Basically saying that _whatever decision you make is your choice and no one else's_. She's not going to stop you. We're all behind you, Ash. We know you'll make the best choice."

…

…

**Sniffle. Sniffle.**

"Are you seriously crying again? You are such a wuss!" The tomboy smacked his shoulder.

"You're crying too, you jerk!" He hit back, his volume returning to normal.

She wiped away her own tear. "_Pff, you wish_… … …hey Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Is anyone from that vision with us?" Angie stared at him. _Worry. Concern._ "Like Maya…?"

"…yeah. Maya's with us."

"Really? Who is it?"

"Couldn't you tell? It's Misty."

"…is it? But Misty's not Empathic."

"Not in this universe at least. So… someone else is taking her place more than likely."

Angie went quiet.

Her mind and heart _struggled _with an _unknown_ and _strange fact_. Something that had _bothered_ her since she saw it…

"What is it, Anj?"

"…_nothing. _Nothing yet. I can't quite figure it out yet."

"Is it about the vision?"

"Y-Yeah. _Thing is…_"

"**THE CREW'S ALL HERE, SIR!"** Casey's voice rang out and echoed against the trees.

"_Seriously, what's with the 'sir'?"_ a voice in the far back questioned.

Ash nodded.

He patted Angie's shoulder and smiled. "We'll finish that talk later. Let's get this conference done with first."

"Okay." She smiled back.

…

…

_Latias doesn't think Misty was Maya…_

Ash caught his best friend's thought.

His footsteps stopped. He wanted to_ turn around and ask her_ what she meant by that…

But now wasn't the time._ Right now he had to be the leader…_

He stepped forward and faced the device on the pure white stump.

"Everyone's here, Bill."


	29. Chapter 29 Goodbye

Surrounding the pokétab, the fifteen members crowded, squeezed, hopped, and pushed to get the best view of Bill and his assistant Dana. Even Sabrina found herself trying to get a perfect angle…

Ash, however, stood perfectly in the center, as Casey and her pokémon acted as his _overenthusiastic _guards.

The only member standing closer to him was Misty, who managed to effectively intimidate the girl into letting her through.

Counting pokémon, Pikachu was closest, as he made himself comfortable on Ash's shoulder.

They all _waited impatiently_ for the meet to officially begin.

…

"_Ash, if you please."_ Bill's voice was barely audible under everyone's constant chattering, whispering, and shouting – even for Ash.

"HEY! IT'S TIME TO START THE MEETING!"

Those closest went quiet. Though those further out continued their conversations and arguments.

"_**QUIIIEEEEEEET!**__**!"**_

Everyone covered their ears in pain – and several pidgeys and spearows were seen flying from the treetops.

Casey put away her megaphone and saluted to Ash. "They're ready for you, sir!"

"Th-Thank you?"

Ash tried clearing his ears, as a constant ringing blocked out most of his hearing.

"_Thank you, Casey."_ Bill's voice could finally heard by everyone. _"Now if you don't know about it yet… Dana and I have found the location of the Team Rocket headquarters."_

Any last traces of gossip disappeared.

The Researcher pressed a number of invisible icons on his side of the screen.

An image of a large fortress within a canyon appeared on a small window.

"_This…"_

Everyone leaned in and studied the massive building made of steel.

"…_is not Team Rocket's main base of operations."_

The group nearly fell over.

Dana moved towards the camera and highlighted the image._ "This is, however, their front. A kind of decoy headquarters. If any investigation or search for Team Rocket is to be pursued, all of them will lead to here."_

Bill took over again and shrunk the image's size. _"They not only did this to cover their tracks, but to also have an effective bait for anyone that dares to attack them."_

Several more images popped up, showing the sides of cliffs, buildings, and the surfaces of lakes.

"_These are tunnels located around the area. If anyone invaded this decoy base, they could easily create a counter-attack by flanking from all sides."_

"So why are we looking at a fake base and not the real thing?" Liza spoke up.

"_Because even though it's a fake, it's also their body."_ the Researcher explained, _"Before we make any attack on their main headquarters, it's important to cause a diversion, if not a fully successful invasion, on this base to keep them from launching reinforcements."_

"So we'll have to split again…" Tracey stated with a twinge of_ fear_ and _regret_ in his voice.

"_If you want to be effective, then yes." _Bill folded his hands on the table in front of him and nodded. _"I just sent the location of the fake base to your pokétab. I suggest you print it."_

May popped her head over Casey's raticate. **"The pokétab can print?"**

The Researcher laughed. _"Of course! There's an icon that appears on the top-right of each image file. Press that, and it should print. And if you haven't printed yet, then you're in luck – as I pre-packed ten pages with your device!"_

May hopped over the raticate and opened the map file. A small _'P'_ button blinked on the corner of the image. "Is that what the _'P'_ has always stood for? …I feel so stupid…" _I thought it meant 'Picture'…_

Pressing it, the device blinked. In seconds, a small color-copy of the map printed from a tiny slit on the side of the pokétab.

"That's so cool…"

"**Hold up!** If we split to attack the decoy base…" Angie pushed Casey's electabuzz out of the way and looked into the screen up-close. "Then won't whoever goes after the decoy be in serious danger? What with the multiple tunnels and all? If we're getting all of Team Rocket's main attention, I seriously doubt we can handle **that many** goons at once!"

"_You won't have to."_ A red-haired man entered the screen's view.

"**LANCE!"** Nearly everyone in the sanctuary recognized the caped man's identity immediately.

He grinned in greeting. _"The Pokémon G-Men have already rigged every possible tunnel in the area with explosives. Team Rocket will only have one way in and one way out once those passages collapse."_

"G-Men? What's that?" the tomboy asked. "Some kind of superhero group?"

She imagined a team of spandex-wearing heroes summoning large robots in the shape of pokémon. _"That would be so cool…"_

Lance laughed heartily. _"No, no, no. We're just an organization that takes care of pokémon in need. Right any wrongdoers that harm or abuse them. Nothing too fancy or super about us."_

"So wait…" Maylene squeezed her way in. "If you already have the explosives in there… why not just blow up the entire base right here and now?"

"_We'd love to."_ He nodded with a frown. _"However, we would also endanger the lives of all the Rockets in there with such a devastating explosion. No matter how evil they are as a group… individually, the majority of them are simple people that chose the wrong road. By our books, they are just misguided citizens… and we will not take their lives away simply because of what their leaders ordered them to do."_

"What about just destroying all the entrances then? Just buy us time to invade the main headquarters?"

"_We haven't been able to infiltrate the lowest levels of the facility…" _Lance sighed._ "We are unsure if they have underground passages that lead directly to their main base. To destroy the entrances now – would simply cause them to panic, and you can bet that even their main headquarters will mysteriously vanish or become abandoned…_

"_Team Rocket will leave bases and build new ones in a matter of days. Like a legendary ancestors of the hydreigons, cutting off one head will only cause the body to grow more heads to replace them…"_

"_In simpler terms…"_ The screen was tilted and Bill was put into focus. _"Attacking them right here and now__** without**__ simultaneously being at the main headquarters is far too risky. We need to attack both fronts at once."_

"Okay, so why aren't we being shown where the headquarters is yet?" Angie complained impatiently.

"_Because we don't have any pictures of it."_

A _nervous_ silence took over.

…

…

"But… we still know where it is, right?" Maylene finally asked.

"_Of course."_

The entire group sighed in _giant relief_.

"_But it's underground."_

"More tunnels? I'm so sick of them!" Casey adjusted her hat in _annoyance_.

"_No tunnels for this one. Just one entrance and one exit. And it's right out in the open."_

Bill pressed the corner of the screen.

A photo filled the display.

"**ARE YOU SERIOUS?"** Several of the fifteen showed their _shock _verbally and through groans.

"What? **What?** Where is it?" Ash faced towards the _glowing emotions_ around him, hoping for one of them to show what they saw.

"_**Viridian City Gym."**_ Sabrina enlightened her bond.

His eyes widened. **"They're that obvious?"**

"_That's not even the most ridiculous news."_ Dana appeared on the screen and clicked another unseen icon.

A second photo appeared. _"There's an elevator and stairway that leads directly to the underground command center. No special passwords, keycards, or scanners to go through. Just a straight passage."_

"But why?" Ritchie questioned. "Why make it so easy?"

"_Because we would've never searched an area so obvious and open."_ Lance answered. _"If there was an abundance of security devices and machinery delivered there, we would have easily noticed it. Instead, this base is built off the same material and standards as Giovanni's old Gym. No one would have caught it…"_

"Then what's stopping us from just sending the authorities there? Or even just blowing the place up? I doubt there's any _'misguided'_ people in there!" Maylene growled.

"_Giovanni himself."_ Lance showed obvious distaste for the name. _"He's a very powerful politician. Nothing happens in Viridian City without him or any of his thousands of connections from noticing it. He has more allies within the court systems and police forces than enemies. I even fear that some of the G-Men might be directly under his influence."_

Misty stepped closer. "If they are, then won't that mean this mission is already compromised?"

"_As far as the rest of the G-Men know, we are only sabotaging the false headquarters in order to stall illegal pokémon shipments… something that the heads of Team Rocket would only find to be a minor irritation. This mission and the location of the __**main**__ Rocket base are only known by me."_

"And how can we be sure we can trust you?" Tracey questioned with slight _paranoia_.

Lance shook his head. _"You can't. All you can do is act on my advice, help, and information. Much in the same way that I cannot trust that there may be spies within your group as well."_

Tracey looked around in suspicion. _Spies…_

"There are none." Ash stepped forward. "I trust every one of them."

"_I can only hope your trust is well-founded, Ash."_

"_**I must clarify something, Lance.**_" Sabrina hovered over the rest and floated softly to the ground in front of the pokétab.

"_Ah, Sabrina. Long time no see."_

"You mentioned that nothing happens in Viridian without Giovanni or his connections from noticing…" her voice was _calm, cool, _and _straightforward_. "…I would assume that also infers that they know of your meddling in the city?"

Lance smirked and shrugged his shoulders. _"Oh they know alright. As we speak, they're readying for an invasion from a ragtag group of young trainers like yourselves."_

"**SHOOT!**" Angie shoved several people out of the way and grabbed Liza. "That means we can't waste time! **Liza! Get the charizards!**"

"_I never said you. I simply said like yourselves."_

The tomboy let go of Liza in _embarrassment_. "Wh-What?"

Bill moved towards the screen and smiled. _"Sorry to say, guys… But you aren't the only ones that figured out Team Rocket's plans with Arceus."_

The fifteen began complaining and conversing amongst themselves.

"**WHO?"** Ash slammed his hands onto the white trunk. He felt… _betrayed._

News like this _shouldn't have existed_.

_Others_ shouldn't exist. _Others_ would only further complicate their plans._ Others_ would only endanger themselves trying to help a cause they were never meant to be a part of.

_Something was wrong. _So very_ wrong_. It was in the _pit of his stomach_. In the _pit of his emotions_. In the _pit of his spirit_.

"_A small group led by Gary Oak. I'm sure you know him." _Bill smiled.

"_I found and fed this information directly to them originally." _Lance admitted. _"They were the ones I had worked with in the beginning. But as I knew that this plan wouldn't work out well on its own, I sought out help. Luckily, I found Bill and this group."_

"_Your two groups will have to work in perfect synchronization in order for this mission to succeed smoothly."_ Dana added. _"As we speak, their Beta team is heading straight for Team Rocket's decoy base. They should reach it the same time you do if you're ready by tomorrow noon."_

"_We won't be ready by then…"_ Ash hissed through his grit teeth. _"We're ready now."_

"_Ash?" _Bill pulled the camera close. _"Get rest now. You won't need to move out until at least tomorrow afternoon."_

"Thanks for all your help, Bill, Dana, Lance. But we won't be needing them anymore."

"_ASH? WAIT!"_

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt."

"Pika?" His pokémon tilted his head in _confusion_.

"I said Thunderbolt!"

"_ASH! YOU'RE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE!"_ Lance grabbed the screen and shook it. _"WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER!"_

"**THUNDERBOLT, PIKACHU!"**

"**CHUUUUUUUUUUUUU-!"**

In a flash of lightning, the device malfunctioned and** BURST** into flames.

Sabrina suffocated the flames immediately with a ball of _psychic energy_.

…

What was left of the pokétab was now in shattered and blackened pieces.

May's face was in _pure grief_. She was about to cry and looked up at Ash.

_Not now, May… I need you to be strong._

She nodded and swallowed her tears.

"**ASH! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?"** Tracey roared as he grabbed the Empathic by the collar.

"Hands off!" Casey pulled the sketch artist off and threw him to the ground. Her pokémon stood by her side as she stared him down.

…

The group stood silent at the scene.

"_**Sabrina."**_ Ash's voice was _deep_ and absolutely _cold_. _**"I need you."**_

She nodded and closed her eyes. Her mind _**linked**_ with his.

In a matter of seconds she _sorted out his thoughts and reinforced his plans_.

He let out a soft sigh and moved through the crowd of _nervous_ and _shocked_ individuals.

Reaching an open area, he turned and faced them all.

Casey ran up to him and continued her act as his bodyguard.

"_**Mist, you're leading the team to the fake Rocket Base."**_

"Ash?" She looked at him in _alarm_. "I –"

"_**You're taking Ritchie, Liza, Bianca, and Dawn to support the Beta team."**_

_No Ash! I'm coming with you!_

Ash's emotions _softened_. _I can't risk losing you again, Maya…_

_Ash…_

_You need to do this for me, Maya… I know you can lead that team better than the rest._

_I… fine. I'll do as you say, Sato… but don't you dare…_

_I won't. I'll be back._

His emotions _hardened_ again.

"_**Once you've successfully captured the base, you can lead some of the Beta team towards the main base to support us."**_

"**WHY DIDN'T YOU LISTEN TO THEM, ASH?"** Tracey was back up, tears flowing down his eyes. **"YOU'VE DOOMED US ALL!"**

Ash sent _a powerful burst of cold Empathy _towards Tracey – effectively _freezing his will_ into silence.

"You don't trust me, Tracey. But I trust you." his voice was subdued and slightly disheartened. "You can join my group, Misty's group, or leave. I'll leave that choice with you."

He turned towards the rest of the group. "_**The rest of you are with me. We're striking the Rocket Base as hard and as fast as we could. Gary's group won't be able to stop the… **__disaster__**… that will occur there without us. Not only that, but we cannot trust any outsiders with our plans. We cannot allow their group to beat us there. We will not allow that group to beat us there.**_"

"**Ritchie, Liza, Bianca, Dawn!**" Misty regarded her team members. "Ritchie, I need all those pokémon back in their poké balls and given back to their proper trainers! Liza, give Ash's team a charizard per person, we'll need the rest for our team! Give the fastest to Bianca! Bianca, make sure you and Latias are ready for your mission – you'll be scouts so be sure not to stress your focus or eyesight until we leave! Dawn, I need you to make sure all our bags and items are sorted! **You all have your jobs. Are you all clear about them?**"

Each of them gave their awkward acknowledgments.

She turned towards Ash and nodded.

He nodded back.

"_**May. Anny. You're my Empathic team." **_It was Ash's turn to form his team's jobs. _**"I need your Empathy well rested and tested. If you can, help the pokémon relax before Ritchie puts them away. Todd. Case. You'll be our scouts, ready yourselves for that. You've got two roles, Lene – shock team and Dark Pokémon hunter. Be sure your team is in fighting shape."**_

They agreed with _firmer convictions_.

"Sir, yes sir!" Casey saluted.

"_**Sabrina."**_

She turned towards him and nodded, not needing any instruction.

He _thanked_ _her_ in thought.

"_**Anj. I need you to handle moving our bags into the open area that I'll choose. Solana. Make sure your Capture Styler is working perfectly."**_

Solana nodded and tightened her Capture Styler.

Angie gave a thumbs-up.

"_**Are we all clear?"**_

Each approved.

"_**I said are we all clear!"**_

"**SIR! YES SIR!"** Casey shouted loudly.

"**YES SIR!"** The rest followed her example.

"_**We leave by sunrise!"**_

* * *

><p>Just outside of the evergreen forests that separated Route 1 and Route 17, a large line of Charicific Charizards sat and received their signaled commands.<p>

A soft sunrise made their silhouettes turn to colors and recognizable shapes.

Trainers, passerby, and citizens crowded at the sight.

The powerful pokémon were what caught their attention originally. However, the real showstoppers were the individuals that conversed and readied for their flight.

Todd, the skilled travelling photographer, famous for his work featured in magazines and his images of rare and unknown pokémon from different regions – prepared the tools of his trade for a photo shoot none of the viewers could have imagined.

Ritchie, the charming blue-eyed trainer, recognized as the young man that had lost to Koga in the Elite Four Kanto Trial of the previous year – sorted through his poké balls, readying for a challenge greater than any he had faced before.

Tracey, the youthful assistant of Professor Oak, who was known for his sketches used in the world-famous Professor's papers and studies – quietly sat a good distance away from the others, struggling with decisions that would have put most others into the same catatonic state.

Casey, the young female trainer who look more fit to be a baseball player, only becoming recently branded as the fan that had brought the spark back to Corey Demario, Team Electabuzz's star pitcher – ran back and forth, instructing others, and ensuring everything was ready… ready for what, the audience wished to know.

Liza, the Guardian of Charicific Valley, seen by others as the strict hermit that keeps the public away from the legendary charizard reservation – continued her instructions to each of the gigantic figures of fire and strength. Whatever brought her and her charizards out, must have been important. An idea that caused much gossip amongst the onlookers.

Solana, one of the celebrated Pokémon Rangers, known for her recent exploits in the Hoenn and Johto regions, and the focus of several fan clubs within the Kanto region – tested her Capture Styler on the nearby wildlife, much to the delight of the spectators.

Maylene, the pink-haired and eyed Gym Leader from the Sinnoh region, infamous with her Lucario as deadly challengers within the unofficial tournaments throughout Kanto – stretched and exercised with excitement and glee. Her emotions being difficult to avoid, many of the audience became pumped up for whatever fight she faced next.

May, the _"Princess of Hoenn"_, the master Coordinator recognized for her near-perfect techniques and fashion styles within Pokémon Contests – nervously flattened the wrinkles on her clothes as she noticed the crowd looking her way. Even in her unprepared clothing, she was a stunning creature of beauty.

Dawn, the Coordinator prodigy, fast becoming famous for her extremely creative use of her pokémon's powers, skills, and talents – seemed absolutely disinterested in what was going on around her and focused all of her attention to a single man on the other side of the field.

Anabel, the Empathic Frontier Brain, the only Empathic publicly known within the higher ranks of the Pokémon League – adjusted her signature espeon onto her shoulder as she approached one of the charizards. Closing her eyes, she seemed to silently communicate with the Flame Pokémon.

Bianca and Angie, two figures unknown to the multitude of watchers – continued their business of packing and moving items into the open area. They had little care that they were given odd looks for being unrecognizable.

Sabrina, the frightening Psychic of Saffron City, seen as a figure of great power that was separate from the rest of the League, sharing the same notoriety as Lance and former Gym Leader Giovanni within the Kanto region – stood quietly at the sidelines. Waiting patiently for the preparations to be complete.

Misty, the "_Mermaid of Cerulean City"_, a Gym Leader known to keep many would-be Pokémon Masters humbled and unconfident… a powerful contender that had earned her the reputation of being one of the _"Gym Leaders you should fight last" _– barked orders amongst the other members with fierce authority.

And Ash… _The Lightning Tsunami_. The already-famous trainer that had become legendary after his reappearance as a blind contender – nodded his head towards the crowd, surprising the many who had thought he couldn't see them.

…

What all these masters were gathered together for in the same area boggled and drove the mind into excitable questions and stories. The only factor they shared in common… was Ash Ketchum.

"_Rumor has it Ash had his charizard trained in Charicific Valley."_

"_I saw the battle he had with Ritchie, it was intense!"_

"_That pink-haired woman from Sinnoh? Apparently she's a friend of his."_

"_I've seen him travelling with Dawn. I've heard she even acts as his cheerleader!"_

"_Wasn't Ash the one that got Tracey his job with Professor Oak? Or did I mishear something?"_

"_I think May's dating him."_

"_No way, I heard Misty dated him!"_

"_I heard that he helped two Pokémon Rangers on their missions."_

"_Wasn't that Frontier Brain known for always comparing Trainers to him?"_

"_I heard Todd has Ash to thank for his successful photo of an articuno."_

"_Casey seems to be giving him a lot of attention… you think they're…?"_

"_I heard a story that Ash got Sabrina to laugh a long time ago!"_

"_Who are those two girls? His sisters?"_

"_What kind of pokémon is that?"_

"_This is so cool! Did anyone bring a camera?"_

"_Oooh, I want her autograph! Do you think it's okay if we ask?"_

"_Look at the size of those charizards!"_

"_Where do you think they're going?"_

Misty had enough.

"**WILL YOU ALL PLEASE BE QUIET?"**

…

The crowd dispersed in panic and went their separate ways. Though some stayed and continued to watch in careful silence.

…

The stillness had not only affected the remaining audience, but the _mood _of the entire group. The air had become stiff and heavy – with the weight of their upcoming challenges _crushing_ their spirits.

Ash pulled Casey close and whispered into her ear.

"_Are you sure, sir?"_ she asked with a raised brow.

He smiled and nodded.

The baseball fanatic shrugged and pulled out her megaphone. _**"WHO WANTS AUTOGRAPHS?"**_

Excited cheers and screams came from the remaining and returning spectators. They didn't hesitate to take the given opportunity.

"_**GET IN A SINGLE-FILE LINE!"**_

The incoming swarms made the group take a step back in surprise. They looked at one another in confusion. Some smiled, others laughed, and others simply shrugged.

_**Are you sure about this, Ash?**_ Sabrina poked with her thoughts.

_Yes…_ he responded with _calm assurance_.

With a sigh, he continued his thought,

_I think… I think we're all really wound up right now because we're all facing something we don't want to do… Something we don't think we're ready for. Something that even I didn't think I was ready for. _

Ash faced the excited crowd. _We need this. We have to remember that everything we do… it isn't just for us… This is for everyone. And if we have to storm a base to save all of the people on this planet, we may as well go in there as their heroes._

* * *

><p>Morning had come and gone, and with it, many ravaging fans and overly curious gossipers had moved on.<p>

Autographs, photographs, questions, and quick statements had flooded the fifteen for hours – and many were relieved that the moment had finally passed.

Noon had struck. The sun hung heavily over them.

Time was ticking against them, as they were sadly back on the schedule Bill had wanted them on.

_**We should be moving soon, Ash.**_

_I know, Sabrina. I just want to let everyone finish their goodbyes first._

The male Empathic smiled. The tension in the air was gone. And all that was left were the fifteen's realization that this might be their last venture together.

Everyone had their own schedule, their own lives to return to after all this. It was a hard thing to imagine that this would be their final time together as a team.

But now, more than ever, they all _knew_ they'd succeed in this mission.

_Something _told them they wouldn't fail… _something had been telling them_ since the beginning, but their own _fears, anxieties, doubts,_ and problems had _blinded_ them from it.

Now with the finality facing them and with all their worries thrown away, their future success was _loud_ and _clear_.

_We can do this, Sabrina…_

_**Of course. I have always known this…**_ The Psychic sighed with a smile. _**Though I will admit my heart is gladdened that everyone realizes it as well now.**_

_Your heart?_ He giggled. _You never mention that._

He felt a slight _psychic jab_ against his thoughts. _Ow!_

_**You know full well I have one.**_ Her vague response _hinted towards their bond_.

…a bond Ash had _cherished_ in full, and would _dearly miss_ when they would split ways.

…

Ash walked towards Sabrina and wrapped his arms around her.

_**Ash?**_

Her thoughts, _stiff, cold, calculating_.

Her emotions,_ surprised, warm, depressed_.

She let her blush through and smiled softly.

Her forehead met his.

_**We're not done yet. We still have one last battle.**_

_I know… but… I'll miss you._

_**Don't say that. Not yet.**_

Sabrina patted Ash's hair lightly as her body slowly disappeared from his hold…

_S-Sabrina?_

_**I am… fine. I just need some time alone. Do not worry. I will be ready once we take flight.**_

Her mind and heart _closed_ seconds after. He could no longer _read_ her.

…

"I swear you two are cute together."

"_C-Cute?"_ Ash turned. The tomboy's emotions faced him. "A-Angie?"

"If you're interested in her, I'd be fine with it."

His face turned red. "Wh-What?"

"_Nothing_, nothing. Anyways…"

Angie's confident emotions suddenly_ shrank_. She felt _vulnerable, unsure_, and _anxious_.

"Is something wrong, Anj?"

His familiar nickname for her _bolstered her courage_.

She grabbed him by the wrist and began dragging him.

"A-Anj? Where are we going?"

"Keep your mouth shut."

Ash's _panicked emotions_ caught the attention of Misty and May.

Angie noticed their curious glances. _"Crap."_

Grunting, she lifted Ash over her shoulder. "_**Shoot**_, you got heavier."

"_A-Anj? Seriously, what's happening?"_

She began to sprint into the woods. "Keep your mouth shut before anyone else notices!"

He was about to struggle. A single shift in his weight would have easily toppled the two over for an easy break-free. But he didn't have enough time.

His body met the ground as he was tossed against the forest floor. "_Ow! Ow. Owow! Ow._" he expressed each injury on every rock and branch his body was struck against as he rolled.

A tree was his final impact. "_Ow._"

He lay still, wondering about his current situation.

Just a few hours ago, he might have found such a predicament to be an annoyance and would have yelled at Angie for dragging him all the way out here before such an important mission.

Yet at this moment, after the jokes and happy exchanges of stories with friends and fans… he felt… _comfortable_. It had made him _reminisce _of older times…

"_Hey Anj…_ doesn't this kinda' remind you of when you first trained with me? The time without pokémon?"

"_That's because it's the same place."_

**Th-thump.**

The tomboy was suddenly on top of him.

"An…Angie?"

She felt… _hot_. Physically too.

"_L-Look, Ash…"_ Angie's voice began with an absolutely _frightened _stutter. "_I – I know_ you'll choose someone else a-after all this. But y-you owe me for saving Anne! _S-So…_"

"An–"

Her lips pressed against his.

…

Limbs losing strength to hold herself up, Angie collapsed onto him. Lips still embraced, her heart stood still as everything inside her mind went into complete _chaos_.

_WH-WHAT AM I DOING?_

She wanted to _stop_. To _pull away_. To_ run_.

But Ash didn't move. He didn't struggle. _That means he wants it too, right?_

Her body pushed forward, leaving no room or gap between their breaths.

Time crawled to a standstill, as she felt trapped in this moment. _This moment with him…_

_What am I… What am I doing… Stop…_

Her lips broke away, only to latch back on. Different lip, different angle, different…_ taste_.

She wanted _more_… she _hungered_ for him…

_You're mine…_

Heart, mind, body, and soul were in complete _conflict_ with one another. They all _yearned _for her to _stop_, yet all secretly _willed_ her to _keep going_. To keep her lips locked onto his. To keep his body close. To keep them_ together_.

Ash's arm twitched, causing her hands to instinctively pin him down.

_L-Let go of him! Y-You can stop now!_ She yelled at herself. _No… he's mine…_

_More… _She pretended she never said.

Angie's lips were virgin. They had always been. She had never wanted, thought about, or cared for this before. Up to this point, she had no idea how to kiss. She still didn't know. Though her lips had no idea how to move forward, where to go, or how to please – she wanted to continue. She wanted to know now, care now, want it now. She wanted to think about this, remember it, and never forget.

Everything inside her told her this is _what she wanted_.

_Just once… just…_

…

…

She finally pulled away… gasping for air.

Her** quick heartbeat **was surprisingly audible, her hair was more of a mess than usual, her body was trembling terribly, and her eyes were in a complete daze.

Using her sleeve, she wiped away the saliva that clung onto her chin. "**I – I um…!**"

The tomboy slowly stood… _unsure_ of what to do.

_D-Do I help him up? No, just run. Just run! Wh-Why isn't he moving? D-Did he not enjoy it? AAAAAAAHHH! OF COURSE HE DIDN'T! YOU FORCED IT ON HIM! YOU-! YOU-!_

"**I – I GOTTA' GO!** I – I'LL SEE YOU AT THE CHARIZARDS!"

Angie ran as fast as she could. _Screaming _at her own emotions and thoughts as she tried her best to _forget_ _the crime _she believed she had committed.

She'd never be able to _forget_, no matter how _hard_ she would try. And in a way, she was glad.

…

…

Ash continued to lie on the forest floor.

His arm twitched again.

…

Pulling the cooling marble from his pocket, he laid his wrist against his forehead…

He would never be able to forget… _when it first happened._

When she _wasn't Angie…_

Pressing the marble against his head, he slowly began to _remember_.

"…_Amy?"_


	30. Chapter 30 Commitment

_TH-THAT ANGIE!_ May growled as she tightened the straps on the charizard she was assigned to. _I SWEAR I'M GOING TO –!_

_You seriously have no right to complain…_

May twitched. _Wh-Who said that?_

_Really? Who else?_

_A-Anabel?_ She turned and looked around _suspiciously_.

The original _Empathic's voice_ was not one May was used to. Having only become an Empathic herself recently, she had never heard Anabel's _emotional voice _before… outside of the private ritual they held to free her Empathy, of course.

_What reason do you have to distress over this?_ Anabel's emotion was obvious: _**annoyance**_. _You already kissed him…_

May tripped over herself and nearly fell flat on her back. She caught herself… by grabbing and pulling against the charizard's straps. Tightening it to an _unbearable _level.

The charizard was ready to _destroy everything _around it in _pure agitation_ – an emotion that had only _frightened_ the Coordinator from taking up any action.

_Oh n-no…_

A soothing aura of _calm_ and _soft care_ surrounded the immediate area.

The lilac-haired Salon Maiden gently loosened the straps and massaged the charizard into _relaxed understanding_. _It's okay… it's okay. I apologize for her. She tends to be a bit of a klutz. I hope you can forgive her._

It grunted and turned away.

Anabel smiled. _Thank you._

The peaceful atmosphere _disappeared_ as the experienced Empathic stared down at May. She helped her up _begrudgingly_.

_You really should be careful with the charizards. They're still not used to co-existing with humans other than Liza._

May didn't seem to care. _H-How do you know that I k-kissed Ash?_ Her face was turning pink. _H-How many people know about that?_

_I saw it myself._ She gave her physical attention to the charizard, well aware that she would look silly staring at May in silence. _Angie only knows because I told her. Not even Ash knows I saw._

_Wh-What were you doing spying on us?_

"**Hmph.**" Anabel walked passed her, shoving her aside with her shoulder – making it look accidental. _I was connected to Ash in a way none of you would have fathomed before. It would have been pretty obvious to me if his emotions were burdened with heavy worry._

She gave a slight glare towards the Coordinator. _I was there for Ash. Not for you. And definitely not for 'both of you'._

Her cold choice of emotions gave May a temporary _chill_.

_W-Well, I can still be angry at Angie!_ she fought back. _Sh-She forced it on him! She practically kidnapped him!_

Anabel looked towards the tomboy.

The green-haired girl stood by her charizard… her face buried against the supply bags the Flame Pokémon carried. The _memory_ of the _unspeakable action_ replayed through her head _over and over again_, making it impossible to ignore or miss for those who could _read_ them. Even her chosen charizard seemed to sense it, as it _uncomfortably_ adjusted its posture.

_Angie did it for different reasons._ Anabel sighed.

Emotions of _accepting loss_ slowly filled her. To her, Angie had finally _won_. She had _claimed Ash_.

…_she did it because this would her last chance. She knows Ash is going to choose someone else._

May's eyes widened. _Choose? … Who? … How does she know?_

The Frontier Brain shrugged. _I don't know… sometimes… she can read Ash better than all of us._

…

…_so what do we do now?_

The Coordinator sat down. _Unsure_.

In the past, Ash was…_ 'free game'_. Anyone could fight over him. Anyone could claim him. But none of it mattered, because he never truly returned the same emotions back. He had never committed – _and that was fine… we never committed either._ But now… with news that he would choose, relationships felt more _uncertain_ now than they had ever felt.

Would she simply just be a friend at the end of all this? Would she be fine with that?

_Ash…? Just a friend…?_

Despite having been _'just his friend'_ for so long, the idea that she could never win him to be anything beyond that –_ frightened_ her. He'd forever be just a friend, _no matter how much_ she wanted it otherwise. Would she be fine with that?

Not even Anabel knew.

Anabel's relationship with Ash had been almost exclusively romantic. She couldn't truly see him as anything other than her soul mate.

But would she try to be his friend if it promised being able to stay close to him?

…

Only Angie was _certain_ of where she'd be.

And despite her known loss, the two Empathics found themselves _envying_ _her_.

* * *

><p>"I… <em>uh…<em> packed these special treats for your plusle."

"Oh wow! Thank you!"

"It should give him more energy… considering we didn't have time to sleep, _I thought it'd be useful_."

"That's nifty! Wish they had something like that for humans." She giggled.

"W-Well actually!** H-Here!**" He handed her a small covered bowl. "A stamina soup… should keep you awake."

"Woww! You think of everything, Ritchie!" Solana smiled as she took a sip. "And it's **delicious**! You sure are talented."

"Th-Thanks…"

"Did everyone get one of these?"

"_N-No… I only had e-enough to make one…_"

"Hm?" The Ranger tilted her head. "Then why give it to me?"

"I j-j-just thought that s-since–"

Maylene passed by and quickly elbowed the male Trainer. "**Go get 'er, tiger!**" She grinned mischievously.

His face turned red.

Solana's face turned pink in reaction. "**O-Oh!** _Uhm_…"

The two stood awkwardly.

She shyly took another sip. "I – _uhm_… thought you said you were…"

**Cough.** She didn't want to finish the question, busying herself with the soup. _This really tastes good…_

Ritchie looked away, wiping away a bit of sweat. "I _uh… _kinda' lied…_ just to get Todd off my back_. _Th-That time I said… s-someone else… I m-meant… y-you_."

"Oh."

Solana handed back the bowl. It was empty.

She turned and gave one of the treats to Plusle. "_Uh…_ I'm… _really_ flattered."

He nervously reached into his pocket, keeping his body distracted. "G-Good luck on the mission."

"Th-Thanks! **You too**!"

With a quick bow, Ritchie ran to his team's side. Sparky met him halfway, congratulating his partner for his brave effort. The male Trainer seemed absolutely relieved to having admitted it… even if it was in a vague manner.

"_So are you actually interested in him?"_

Liza appeared by her side, causing her to flinch. "O-Oh, _Liza_, it's you."

"Isn't he a little young for you?"

Solana patted Plusle as it continued to devour the treats. "W-Well I'm p-probably _not too much older_ than him."

Liza smirked. "Never been asked out, have ya'?"

The Pokémon Ranger turned towards her friend in a challenging posture. "**Yes I have!**"

"_Really?_" Her face showed no sign of being convinced. "When was the last time?"

She sighed heavily. "_…when I was six._" the Ranger admitted in shame.

Liza laughed as she walked away. "Don't get too desperate now! He just thinks you're a pretty face. Youngin's never know what they're getting themselves into when it comes to relationships."

The Valley Guardian disappeared behind one of the charizards.

…

Solana glimpsed curiously at Ritchie as she put a hand up to her cheek. "_He thinks I'm pretty?_"

* * *

><p>Todd grinned as he ran his finger against his chin. <em>"Using the final battle as your excuse for a 'now or never'? A bit cliché, Ritchie, but I think you're onto something."<em>

Confidently, he marched towards a purple-haired girl that impatiently waited at the forest's edge.

Before reaching her, he plucked a white lily from the ground and took in its scent. _"Perfect…"_

With a hop, skip, and an elegant landing bow, he presented the flower to Casey.

"A wonderful day, isn't it?"

The baseball fanatic raised her brow.

…

Todd laughed nervously at the awkward silence. "_Er…_ this flower's for you." He recovered his confidence. "I thought it matched your eyes… a silly thought, as nothing could compare to them."

…

She blew a bubble and **popped** it. "That's the best you got?"

His boldness began to shrink. "_Uh…_"

With a cough, he reconfigured his actions and tossed the flower behind him. "_Look Casey_, I just wanted to thank you. For that time you saved me at the prison. I don't think I would've lasted another torture session… so, thank you for taking the hit for me."

He gave a charming smile and let his eyes water. "Really. _Thank you._"

She shrugged in response. "You're welcome."

Todd fell over.

_Wh-What's with this girl?_

Slapping his face and changing his tactic, he got back to his feet – taking a meek posture.

"S-So… that… didn't mean _anything_ special?" A slight blush covered his cheeks. "Because… it really meant a lot to me."

After another bubble **pop**, she responded, "_Nnnope. _Though I'm glad you liked it."

His emotions sank.

_Unless…_

"You're a fan of the Electabuzz team right?"

"Yeah?"

"I have quite a collection of photos from their best season." He grinned.

Her eyes lit up. "Every season's their best season… but that's pretty **cool**! I didn't know you were a fan too!"

"Actually I'm not much into baseball…" _And here comes the friend line…_ "…but that's because I don't know much about it. I've always been interested in learning, though."

"I could totally teach yo– _**Heyyy**_… are you still trying to hit on me?" She frowned in irritation.

"Oh for crying out loud! **Yes!** What's it going to take to ask you for a date?"

She spit out her bubblegum. "A pretty odd time to be asking for dates, don't you think?"

"Well it might be–"

"Our last chance?" Casey shrugged and smirked. "Using our last mission as an excuse for a _'now or never'_ question that could make me desperate enough to consider it? Talk about cliché."

He sighed. _This girl really is something._

Todd wanted her now more than ever. "And I'm willing to risk my pride on that. You want to make a bet? A deal? A contract? Anything? I'll stake anything on it."

"Will you take_ 'no'_ for an answer?"

"Not at all."

"Then take _'beat it'_, and get out of here."

_I give up…_ "Look Casey, we're going to be partners out there. Whether you like it or not, we're going to be depending on each other. Now's really not the time to make that job awkward."

"Says the guy who's continuing to make it awkward. And besides, you're a big boy – you can treat that job as just that, _a job_. Professional acquaintances."

"What don't you like about me? You're not even giving me a chance to show you who I am!"

"And you don't know a fricken' thing about me either. We'll call it even."

With each counter, he felt like he took another blow to his pride and emotions. He had no more aces up his sleeves – so he tore the cards up instead. "What does Ash got that I don't?"

Casey finally gave a reaction. Though one he regretted pulling out.

Her face turned pink. "**A-Ash?** _Wh-What?_ I don't have anything f-for him!"

"Oh come on! It's so obvious! You're always following him around and calling him _'sir'_!"

"I-It's purely out of professionalism! I just treat him as our c-captain!" She threw a new gum into her mouth and began chewing nervously. "Nothing more than that! Nothing at all!"

"We're all being professional here, Case." Todd noticed her lip twitch at using the nickname Ash gave for her. _Tch… anyone can give you that nickname._ "You don't see any of us following him around and attending to his every thought and whim! The man can barely walk on his own without you being his shadow!"

Casey took that as a compliment. "I'm just giving him the respect he deserves."

"Deserves? What… What did he **do** to deserve it? Any man in his situation would do the same thing! And the only reason he can keep going without breaking down is because he's literally being attended to by every girl that he decides to charm!"

He was suddenly lifted off the ground and **slammed** against a tree. Casey growled at him.

"**You take that back!** Ash is being selfless! He's just keeping our morale up and sacrificing his time and mind to make sure we're all okay!" She pulled him higher; making sure his feet couldn't touch the ground. "**He doesn't have to!** He could be just like you – **YOU'RE** the one trying to charm a girl for your own selfish wants! It's not his fault they like him! They're just being thankful! Returning the favor! And **not once** did he ask for that favor to be returned!"

Casey was shaking. She knew by now everyone around them was staring. She knows that they heard her loud and clear… and that she indirectly admitted her feelings for Ash in a rather audible fashion.

"Exactly." Todd seemed satisfied. "All those girls surrounding him. _What chance do you think you have with him?_"

He knew it would hurt. He wanted it to hurt.

It didn't.

"Zero." Casey simply said. "But I can at least be there for him and give him what he needs. _And right now?_"

She let him down and patted his shoulder.

"Right now, he needs us to work as a team. So like I said… _Beat it, Todd_. I'm not interested. We can be a team. We can be friends. But I'm not interested in anything deeper than that. Ask later. I don't have time for you right now."

…

He pulled her hand away from his shoulder and dropped it with disgust. "**Hmph.** You all treat him like a selfless god… _let's see how you feel about him once he uses a god for his own selfish reasons._"

Todd walked away, returning to his business of sorting through his camera equipment.

Casey wanted to strike him. Her hands balled into a fist, when a touch on her shoulder surprised her.

"_Hey…" It_ was Angie's hand. "We should probably be leaving soon. We're running a little late… Can you get Ash? He's been in there for a while."

The tomboy smiled at her, almost in an understanding manner.

To have the captain's best friend understand her emotions was beyond just a compliment. She felt slightly humbled. "I don't know where he is in there."

Angie pointed. "Just keep heading that way. He might be lying on the grass, so watch your step."

With a nod, Casey saluted and began running.

The golden-eyed tomboy sighed.

An arm went around her shoulder. "This sure is going to get ugly, isn't it?" Maylene mentioned with a smirk.

"Yeah. Only thing we can do is ready ourselves for it."

The fighter snickered. "I didn't mean the mission."

"I didn't either."

Maylene pulled her towards the charizards. "Come on, let's get this darn last battle done and over with."

* * *

><p>Hovering above the ground with heavy <strong>flaps<strong>, a group of large charizards waited_ patiently_ for their next orders. Fifteen of them carried humans on their backs.

A single pokémon of red and white flew circles around them – too _excited_ to stay still.

"_**Before we leave, I want to make it abundantly clear of what our objectives are!**_" Ash shouted, his voice being carried by the strong wind. His authority made perfectly powerful through Sabrina's _bond_ and his focused use of _Empathy_. "_**Team One! This includes May, Todd, Maylene, Anabel, Casey, Solana, Sabrina, Angie, and myself!**_"

"And me, too!" Tracey yelled, moving his charizard closer. "I've decided to join your group!"

Ash smiled and nodded in his direction.

"_**Team One!**_" he continued, "_**Our job is to fly straight into Viridian! We will be landing around Viridian City Gym! Our charizards will then continue scouting the skies above! Solana! Your new job is to protect them until our reinforcements come! As you'll be outside, you should have more access to wild Pokémon! Use that to your advantage!**_"

The Ranger shouted, "Yes, sir!"

"_**You may join us inside once the reinforcements arrive!**_" Ash turned. "_**Angie! Your job is to cover the rear! Keep a safe distance from us to make sure you don't fall for any ambush meant for us! You'll be the one saving us in case anything goes wrong!**_"

"You can count on me!"

"_**May! Anabel! We're next in line! We can backup either Angie or the team ahead of us! But we have to make sure all three of us make it into the final room!**_"

The two Empathics _confirmed_ with their emotions.

"_**Todd! Casey! Both of you are our scouts! You report any incoming enemies, traps, or forks in the paths back to us!**_"

"YES, SIR!" Casey shouted _enthusiastically_.

Todd simply nodded.

"_**Maylene! Keep close to both of them! I want you to take out any Dark Pokémon as well stun any enemy groups ahead of us, OK?**_"

"OK!" she shouted as she flexed her arm.

"_**Tracey! Your job is to help Sabrina!**_"

"S-Sabrina?" A _freezing chill_ ran down the sketch-artist's spine. He hesitantly looked towards the Psychic.

Her eyes were closed, as if asleep.

"_**Sabrina will be remaining on the ground floor of the Gym! Once we are sure all Dark Pokémon are down, Sabrina will be taking a shortcut towards us! Tracey, you are to assist her through this shortcut!**_"

"Sh-Shortcut?"

He was tossed a device. A long-distance radio.

Tracey stared at it oddly.

"_**Do NOT use it!**_" Ash warned. "_**Even if there are no tracking systems in the gym, we can't be too careful! We will send a single sound through the radio! This is the signal that all Dark Pokémon are down! Again, do NOT use it!**_"

"O-Okay!" he stuttered in nervous confusion.

"_**Team One! Our job is to stop Team Rocket's plans once and for all!**_"

"YEAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

…Maylene realized she was the only one that shouted. She blushed in embarrassment.

"_**Team Two!**_" Ash nodded towards Misty.

"Team Two!" Misty confirmed. "That means **me, Liza, Ritchie, Dawn, **and **Bianca!**"

She pointed each of them out with a glare.

"Bianca! You and Latias are our scouts! Speed ahead of us and tell us of the upcoming environments and situations! If any enemies appear, retreat immediately back to us!"

The Alto Mare native gave a thumbs-up, as her pokémon gave an eccentric spin to acknowledge.

"Liza! You're our aerial support! Dawn, Ritchie, and I will be hitting groundside! Keep any and all enemies off of us with the charizards! Those that get through, we'll handle on our own! You may want to stay a safe distance away in case they attempt to group us together! Stay as spread out as you can!"

The three nodded firmly.

"Team Two! Our job is to make sure Team Rocket's head no longer has a body! We're overtaking that base! Once we succeed in that, we're acting as Team One's reinforcements! **Are we clear?**"

"**CLEAR!**" The small group shouted as one.

Misty faced Ash. _Whenever you're ready, I am._

_See you then. Good luck._ He smiled.

_You better be safe. Otherwise I'm going to kill you._

He held back a laugh. _So if I die, you're going to kill me?_

_I'd find a way._

Ash gave a thumbs-up. "Team Two, we're counting on you."

"Team One, you better not let us down." Misty responded.

Guiding the charizard to face his team, Ash raised his arm. "_**Let's go, Team One!**_"

"**Team Two, follow me!**" Misty spun the charizard and began her flight.

The teams finally broke off and sped towards their destinations.

_When we see each other again… I think I'll be ready to be your Maya, Sato…_

* * *

><p>Viridian City Gym closed in. It sandy brown walls and white marble accents, elegant water fountain, and gorgeous garden of sentry trees distinguished it from the rest of the modern city.<p>

"_Seriously_, that thing's more like a mansion and less of a Gym." Angie remarked as the building closed in.

The Charicific Charizards dove down, flying close to the ground.

Pedestrians and cyclists panicked at the sight – several of them stopping in their tracks or swerving off course.

Maylene slowed down and kept with Sabrina's speed. "Are all your Gyms here so… large? And beautiful?" She frowned, feeling _inadequate_. "Mine's just so… _dainty _compared to these Kanto Gyms… it's no wonder Ash thought Gym Leaders were rich."

Sabrina opened her eyes for the first time in hours. She regarded Maylene with them. "You have to remember that the Kanto region, with special thanks to our Professor Oak, was the first to flourish in the realm of technology and study of Pokémon. It should be no surprise that our Gyms and Tournaments are well-funded and sponsored."

"**You've got sponsors?**"The fighter felt like _crying in embarrassment_ for her inferiority. "Is that why you're all so well-dressed here? I need to move down here someday!"

Sabrina laughed – a reaction that shocked the fighter.

"Kanto is a nice region. However, from what people tell me, Sinnoh has a certain mystical beauty that is supposedly unmatched." the Psychic responded.

"Y-Yeah…" _Sabrina sure looks different._ "I love Sinnoh. I doubt I'd ever leave it. I just kind of envy the comforts down here."

She stared straight ahead, watching the buildings and streetlamps pass quickly by. "I don't think I've ever been so well-fed my entire life." She sighed. "I'm going to miss the food down here."

"Which must mean you're leaving after this." Sabrina confirmed.

"I am, actually. …I think I've been gone from home for too long as it is."

"And your plans with Ash?"

"If he's interested, he can come home with me." She grinned. "If not, well… I guess I can always visit again. Just to hang out."

Sabrina smiled. "You certainly are bold."

Maylene blinked. _Ah! She's smiling! She's acting so weird!_ "Bold?"

"The other girls here would never ask him directly. Yet you are already willing to propose to him."

"**P-PROPOSE?**" Her face flushed red as she nearly fell off her charizard.

Sabrina laughed again.

"You said yourself that he's coming home with you if he accepts, correct? Sinnoh's quite a long way from here. It sounds to me as if you are going to propose to him."

"**N-N-No!**" The fighter struggled to keep her body on the charizard – who was growing irritated at the rider hanging onto its neck. "I j-just want to date him! **Just date!** I can't just date him if I'm _**all**_ the way at Sinnoh! S-So I'd just let him hang out with me at my house!"

The Psychic gave a sly smile. "…and then?"

"'_And then'_ what?"

"You invite a boy into your home, date him, let him live with you – what are your plans if he continues that life with you for several months? At that point he might as well be your husband."

"I… _uh… er…_" Maylene climbed back into the proper riding position and buried her face into the charizard's neck. "**I dunno! **I never thought that far ahead!"

_Quit teasing Lene, Sabrina._ Ash's thought came through.

_**I asked a sincere question.**_ She responded back _gleefully_.

"We're ready to land, sir!" Casey shouted out.

"Should we park in the back?" Todd asked.

"_**No time. We land in the front.**_" Ash commanded. "_**Do we have any opposition?**_"

"That's a negative! We've got zero enemies, sir! Destination in five seconds!"

The blind Empathic held tightly to his assigned charizard's neck and loosened his body – readying for a landing that only he couldn't see.

A large gust of wind hit his back as the Flame Pokémon came to a **flapping** halt.

**Stomp. Stomp.**

The gravity below him felt solid again.

_Thanks, no-name._ Ash hopped to the floor unsteadily.

_Welcome._ the charizard responded back.

The others got off their rides and adjusted to standing on their own feet.

May was the only one unsuccessful at adapting, as she fell over immediately. _"Ow…"_

Maylene, however, accustomed to the ground perfectly, and was the first to move away from her charizard.

She ran towards Ash and helped him steady himself. "_Hey… Sabrina's acting weird. It's creeping me out._" she whispered to him _urgently_.

The male Empathic tilted his head. "_Hm?_ Weird how?"

"She's acting all… _friendly._"

Ash and Sabrina laughed together.

"_Did she hear me?_" Maylene covered her face in embarrassment.

Just as instant as they had laughed, they stopped simultaneously.

_**The mission.**_

_I know._

"_**Solana! Patrol!**_"

"Got it!" The Pokémon Ranger ran to a nearby tree and aimed her Capture Styler. "Capture! ON!"

A group of pidgeottos that made their home in the tree's branches – found themselves grounded as a capture disc began circling them. Its accelerating speed created a ring of light around its intended targets.

After its fifth spin, the ring tightened and surrounding the four Bird Pokémon in a bright light.

"Capture successful!" Solana pointed towards the roof of the Viridian Gym. "Help us get to the top of that building, guys!"

The pidgeottos swooped down and lifted the Ranger and her plusle partner to the roof.

Ash patted the unnamed charizard. _Alright, you guys get into position too. We need this place secure._

It grunted in _understanding_.

Using the gestures learned from Liza, no-name gave orders to its fellow Flame Pokémon.

The ten Charicific Charizards took flight and circled the Gym's skies.

Solana waved down from the roof and gave a thumbs-up. _"This area is now secure! Go right in!"_

Ash let Pikachu out of his backpack. "_**Everyone bring out at least one pokémon, preferably small. You can let out the larger ones once we get into battle.**_"

Todd shrugged and sat on a small white staircase. The platform it led up to held the Viridian Gym doors. "Don't got one."

The other seven released a pokémon from their poké balls: Maylene's Tyrogue, Casey's Raticate, Anabel's Espeon, Tracey's Marill, May's Glaceon, Angie's Kricketot, and Sabrina's Hypno.

Ash _felt _through each of them, _identifying_ what kind of pokémon they were by their _familiar emotions_.

"_**May, Maylene.**_ Can you get Glaceon to freeze the door and get Tyrogue to smash it down?"

The fighter grinned. "Oh heck yeah!"

"Why don't we just see if the door's open?" May asked, _bewildered_ at the order.

"I don't want it to be one of those situations where the door mysteriously locks us in." he explained.

"_Ooh!_ Smart!" May smiled and hopped up to the platform. Running down the pathway to the door, she halted several feet from it. "Glaceon!"

The Fresh Snow Pokémon sprinted towards the target door.

"Ice Beam!"

With a flip for added flair, the light blue pokémon shot a ray of white light towards the door – encasing the entire entrance in a wall of ice.

"Good job!" the Coordinator complimented.

"**Now it's our turn!**" Maylene shouted excitedly. "Tyrogue! Brick Break!"

The Scuffle Pokémon launched its glowing fist into the ice, creating an impressive crack in its shining surface.

"And now we finish this!" The fighter thrust a powerful kick into the fracture.

**DRRKRKRKKKEKEKEK! – DOM!**

The ground shook as the door **crashed** into six shattered pieces.

"**YEAH!"**

Maylene and her pokémon roared in adrenaline-fueled victory.

"_**Todd! Case!**_"

"On it, sir! Come on, Raticate!" The baseball fanatic ran towards the door with her Mouse Pokémon.

Todd stumbled to a run. "Wait up!"

…

"This place is so quiet." Angie commented as she observed the area around her. Other than the destruction of the door, the only sound to be heard was the trickling of the water fountain that sat near them. "I thought they said Team Rocket was preparing for Gary… Are we even in the right place?"

"I –"

"_**WAAAAIIIIIIIT! GUYYYYYYS!"**_an unknown voice cried out.

The call caused everyone to _panic_.

"**INTRUDER COMING AT TWO O'CLOCK! FROM THE SKY!"** Solana shouted out.

Ash faced upwards, trying to sense if _friend or foe_.

Above, a lone figure dove towards them on the back of a large bird.


	31. Chapter 31 Kismet

The charizards darted towards the unknown intruder. To their surprise and dismay, the flying pokémon the trespasser rode was far faster than any of them.

"It's coming too fast!" Tracey yelled.

"And it's heading straight this way!" Angie growled as she stood in front of Ash. "Kricketot! _Er…_ no wait, she doesn't know any-"

"_**Allow me.**_" Sabrina stepped in front of them and forced out her hand.

An invisible wave of psychic energy blasted the large pokémon and its rider from the sky – though their momentum kept them rocketing towards the group.

The first to crash was the large pokémon, which was revealed to be a pidgeot. Knocking out seconds after its impact, it scraped to a halt just inches away from them.

Its rider bounced off the fainted pokémon's body and rolled to a stand.

"**I –!"** The person tripped and stumbled towards them. Passing Sabrina, Angie, and their respective pokémon, the unidentified intruder slammed into Ash. Causing him to fall sideways – splashing into the nearby fountain.

"**OH! I'M SO SORRY!"** The intruder, a blond female, panicked as she ran towards Ash.

She was stopped in her tracks as an aluminum bat pressed against her neck. _"Don't even get near him, missy."_

Casey, appearing from nowhere, protected the downed and wet Ash.

"_Where the heck did that bat come from?"_ Maylene's voice could be heard in the background.

The baseball fan wasn't alone in protecting the male Empathic. Sabrina, Angie, Anabel, and Tracey stood in her path. Pikachu hopped onto Angie's head and sparked lightning from its cheeks.

Her eyes watering, the woman backed away in_ fear_. "_Y-You're_ not with Gary, are you?"

Ash crawled his way out of the fountain and shoved his friends out of the way. "**Gary?** You know where Gary went?"

The woman, _still frightened_, answered hesitantly, "_Y-Y-Yes._ W-We were supposed to meet here, but I g-got separated from them. _I th-think they're already inside._"

"'_We'_? You're from his team?"

"_Ah-ah-uhm!_" _Terrified _tears rolled down her eyes.

_Reading her_ was no use, her emotions and thoughts had _shrunken_ to an _insignificant size_.

May hopped down the steps and ran up to the woman.

_You guys are frightening her! Quit it!_ She glared back at the group.

"Hey, it's okay." The Coordinator patted the stranger on the shoulder. "We were just a bit startled by you. My name's May! Nice to meet you."

The green-eyed woman wiped away her tears and smiled. "My name's Bianca! It's a pleasure!" She bowed.

She looked at the group _curiously_. "_Um…_"

_Ash! Be nice!_ May covered her eyes to help focus an _Empathic jab _at his emotions.

"_O-__**Oh!**_ _Uh._ My name's Ash! Nice to meet you!" He bowed awkwardly, spraying everyone with drops of water from his clothes.

Angie followed suit. "My name's An–"

"**Ash?" **The blond woman's eyes widened. "You're Ash? **Oh my!**"

"…_pleasure to meet you…"_ the tomboy grumbled.

Bianca shoved her hand into her purse and began to rummage through it. "Where did I… _where is it?_"

Sabrina caught Ash's attention. _**We don't have time for this, Ash.**_

_I know, I know. But I need to know where Gary went._

The woman continued digging through her bag. "_Oh no no no_, where did I put it?"

"That's why I don't carry a purse." Maylene casually said as she leaned against one of the cement railings.

"I thought you didn't carry a purse because you wouldn't have any money to put in there!" Angie teased with a mean laugh.

"**Ow!** Low blow!" The fighter tossed a pebble at the tomboy.

"**I FOUND IT!"** Bianca exclaimed as she revealed a watch-like device. It was dusty, but looked years ahead in technology compared to their pokédevs.

Grinning, she pressed a button on the side. "**Gary!** You'll never guess who I found!"

"_**G-Gary?**_" Ash reached towards Bianca, trying to find whatever she was using to communicate with him.

May caught his arm by the wrist. "_Geez! Just ask!_" she hissed.

"_Bianca? Where are you?"_ the voice on the other end of the device was unmistakably Gary's.

"At the front of the Gym~!" she sang with an air of prideful success. "But like I said! You'll **never** guess who I found~!"

"Excuse me, Bianca?" May smiled towards their new acquaintance. "May we borrow that? Ash would _**really**_ like to talk to Gary."

"Of course~!" She shoved the device towards the blind Empathic.

"_Ash? What are you doing here?"_

"I should be asking you that!" Ash grabbed Bianca's wrist to hold the device still.

"_Get out of here Ash. Team Rocket wants you dead."_

"I know what Team Rocket wants! That's why I'm here to stop them!"

"_We're almost done here, so don't worry about it. Leave before any reinforcements arrive."_

The screen began to glow red. Gary's side of the screen began to shake. _"Shoot! They found us! Cut all communication, team! They're tracking us!"_

Facing back towards Ash, Gary frowned. _"Get out of here, Ash. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. I'm ceasing all communication. See ya' later."_

"GARY! WAIT!"

**Click.**

…

No more sounds came from the device.

Ash let go of Bianca and turned. "_**We need to catch up with them.**_"

"Sir! The room is clear!" Casey notified.

"And the entire floor below is empty too." Todd walked towards them, slightly _irritated_ at being ditched by his supposed scout partner. "Haven't checked the rest of the floors yet, but it sounds pretty empty for several floors down."

"Gary musta' not been kidding when he said they were almost done." Angie commented, _impressed_.

"Which means we must move faster than originally planned." Sabrina noted plainly. "I shall prepare the shortcut."

The Psychic walked calmly towards the broken Gym doors.

"_**Tracey, help her.**_" Ash commanded as he held out his elbow. _May, can you guide me there?_

_G-Guide?_

_I can't see, remember? …I don't do too well in new areas._

_S-Sure…_ She blushed; glad to be his eyes once again.

The Coordinator shyly wrapped her hands around his arm and carefully led him up the steps. Pikachu hopped off the tomboy's head and sat on May's shoulder, preferring it over Ash's wet clothes.

Casey put away her baseball bat and followed after the two.

"_Um…_ What am I supposed to help Sabrina with?" the sketch-artist asked _nervously_.

"_**She needs your pokémon, all of them.**_"

"O-Okay." Tracey ran after Sabrina.

"Ooh! I wanna' see!" Maylene sprinted.

Picking up Kricketot, Angie followed close behind. "Wait up!"

"I want to come along, too!" Bianca returned the pidgeot into it poké ball and jogged after them. _"Really sorry about that. Hope you feel better soon." _she whispered to the poké ball before pocketing it.

Todd shrugged.

"Well this plan is turning out_ perfectly_." he commented sarcastically. "Hey Anabel, you coming?"

She nodded solemnly and walked up the steps. Espeon sat silently on her shoulder. The two seemed far more distant than usual.

"_Weird."_ The photographer shrugged again and continued his walking.

"_**HEY GUYS! EVERYTHING OKAY DOWN THERE?"**_Solana called from above.

"**Yeah! Just got a new teammate, apparently! And Gary's team was already inside!"** Todd answered back.

"_**Thanks for the update! Good luck in there!"**_

"**Thanks!"** He responded, sighing shortly afterwards. "With how everything's going, _all we're getting is luck…_"

* * *

><p><em>Meditating<em> in complete silence, the Psychic Gym Leader Sabrina hovered in place.

The rocky earth, that constituted Viridian Gym's arena floor, began to heat up under the Psychic's mental pressure.

Tracey sat patiently at the side, with Scyther, Venonat, and Marill by his side.

On the audience lines, sat and stood the rest of the group.

"_What's she doing?"_ Angie whispered towards Ash.

He replied with a finger to his lips, gesturing for her to be quiet.

"_Why don't we just take the stairs?"_ Maylene grumbled.

Ash closed her lips with his fingers.

"Is it just me? Or is it getting like a sauna in here?" May fanned herself with her hand as she moved away from the battleground.

_Shhhh!_ Ash _felt_ towards her.

"This is so cool!" Bianca, their new blond-haired acquaintance, squealed.

Ash sighed.

Casey **thudded **the metal bat against the new girl's head.

"Ow!" She rubbed her head.

The baseball enthusiast signaled for her to hush.

"Oh! Oops!" Bianca covered her mouth and waved apologetically.

…

…

**KRK!**

A small crack appeared on the ground directly below Sabrina.

The moisture from the soil was being forced out, causing the arena's floor to heat and dry at an accelerated rate.

**KRRAK! KRAAKAAKRAAKARAAAAK!**

In seconds, the small crack turned into its very own fault line as it split the battleground in half.

"WHOAH! THIS IS SO AMAZING!" Bianca yelled in exhilaration.

Casey was about to silence her again, when Maylene shouted out too, "HOW DID SHE DO THAT?"

_Excitement_ had built up in the audience lines as _no one cared_ to be quiet anymore.

Sabrina, _irritated_, continued her work.

Ash sighed._ Sorry…_

_**It is fine. I can still focus.**_

"YOU CAN DO IT, SABBY!" Angie cheered.

May laughed hard. "Sabby?"

"Don't make fun! I think it's a cute nickname for her!" the tomboy pushed the Coordinator.

Casey snorted with a held laugh. "That nickname's lame! Sounds like a pet cat."

"You're one to talk!" Todd joined in. "You named Bianca _'BiBi'_!"

May laughed harder.

The new Bianca pointed toward herself and tilted her head. "You named me _'BiBi'_?"

"No, not you. We know another Bianca." Maylene clarified. "And there're two of them."

"Two Biancas? So that makes three?"

"_No no no_." Angie interjected. "One of them's just an illusion. Its name is Latias."

"**What?"** Bianca was getting more confused.

The group continued to escalate in their chatter, joking, story-telling, and gossip.

_Completely distracted._

Just as Anabel wanted.

_Ash…_ she sent towards him.

_Hm?_ The male Empathic was slightly stunned. He hadn't heard Anabel's _Empathic voice_ for a while, not even in passing. Her emotions had been blocked off since they had split teams. Now they were _wide open_, suddenly, unexpectedly. _As if she had been waiting until now._

He sensed around him. May was _far too distracted_ and untrained to notice their emotional conversation – and Sabrina was_ far too focused_ in her work to notice.

In every way, this was a private conversation – as if they were hidden from the rest of the group.

…_yeah, Anny?_

…

_Who's Maya?_

Ash froze. He couldn't believe this question was asked again, in almost the_ same exact emotional tone_.

_Who asked this before?_ She read him clearly.

Ash felt like panicking, trying to find a way to close himself off so she couldn't look into him. But he knew if he tried, she could still see right through him. Anabel may not have been as creative with her Empathy, but she was vastly his superior.

He wouldn't be able to hide anything from her.

_No, you wouldn't._

_Er… Misty was the one that asked before._

_Why?_ Her emotions were _simple, curious,_ and _patient_. Hints of _sadness_ and _anger _hid in the background – just enough so that he'd notice it, just as she wanted.

_I accidentally called her that once._

_Why?_ Despite the tone being the same, it felt like a relentless barrage of a million questions.

_Because… she is. At least, I think she is._

_Who is Maya?_ she asked again.

_Where did you hear the name from?_

Ash didn't know how to keep answering, so he had asked instead.

_Misty said it when we left. I heard her._

…

Anabel's emotions suddenly felt _closer, impossibly close_ – as if he was locked in _a cage made by her very own heart_.

_She called herself Maya. And called you Sato._

_Y-Yeah…_

_In fact, I've heard a lot of people call you Sato. Tracey, Todd, Solana, and Liza have all called you Sato in their head at one point, while they were looking at you – while they were suspicious of you._

The strength of Anabel's Empathy was never more apparent than now. Throughout his entire time in the sanctuary, he had _never_ heard their emotional thoughts about him. No matter how close he was to them at the time, the most he could hear were their _obvious emotions_ that they were feeling for the moment…

…but for Anabel to catch these _specific emotions_ that he couldn't even feel at the slightest – they must have been _far too subconscious or private_ for him to see, and it only complimented the Salon Maiden's true skill. Ash was just creative – she was the true Empathic.

_It all came from a story that Casey and Bianca told the group_. Anabel pushed. _About your visit to Alto Mare and what you saw._

_So… you knew?_

_No. I didn't. I heard it from their hearts, but I never believed any of it. Originally, I thought it was a desperate story that was blown out of proportion, or simply a misunderstood story that had too many plot holes._

_But you know what it is? The story, that is._

_Barely. It was too vague for each of them – and each of their perspectives ruined the account in some way…_

Ash was surprised how much she had looked into this subject. Though it was obvious she would be concerned by something this important, it was still amazing to find how much she had probably pieced together within such a short amount of time. If he had left her alone, she would have figured out everything by prying into his own heart.

But she didn't. She waited to ask him in private – for an answer he could give to her. And for that, he owed her an answer.

…_So what do you want to know?_

_I… I don't know where to begin…_ Her emotions seemed to search herself for more complaints, more facts, and more memories to turn to questions._ …Where did this happen? When did it happen? It sounds like some alternate universe. Or some kind of weird dream. Which is it?_

_It's close to an alternate universe. …a universe before this one._

_What do you mean?_

…_you remember when Sabrina explained to you our mission?_

_Team Rocket wants to control Arceus. Yes. I remember that. And we're here to stop them._

_We did. At one point, we did._

Anabel began to shake. She felt _scared_. She _wasn't sure why_, but she_ was_.

The idea that she was _afraid of what the answer would be_, was the closest she could attribute the fear to.

…

_What do you mean?_ she finally dared to ask.

_In the past, an entire world and life before this one, I stopped them. Me and a group of friends… we stopped them from controlling Arceus. But they had already destroyed so much. We wanted to reverse the damages… by using Arceus._

_Then what happened?_

…_Maya… she died. The power they used to control Arceus had… killed her. If we reversed everything, everything would be fixed – except for Maya. She was affected by something stronger than Arceus, so it was beyond Arceus' power to save her…_

…_so…_ Anabel's hand latched onto Ash's sleeve. Her arm was trembling. _Frightened_ of the answer. _…you restarted the universe to save her?_

…_yes._

…_and Misty's Maya?_

…_yes._

_And the reason why she's not here… is s-so that you don't lose her again, right?_

_Right…_

…

Anabel wanted to _cry_.

Everything inside her wanted to _shatter_ and _never be able to be repaired again_.

To lose to Angie was okay for her… she _understood_ and _agreed_ with the tomboy. They weren't fully in sync with one another, and often times they were far too opposite to ever be true friends – but they had an agreement: Whoever was best for Ash, would win.

_Angie won._ Fair and square.

Even if she admitted to losing and allowed Ash to choose whoever he wanted – she did what was best for him by letting him go. _By losing, she had won completely. _Angie sacrificed her own love, so that Ash could give his freely.

No one could ever be good enough for him now… _except for Maya._

Someone who Ash restarted the whole universe to keep.

It was like fighting a ghost. She couldn't see her. She didn't know her. She had no idea what she was capable of or what she could ever offer. From the way people spoke in regarding her, especially Bianca, Casey, and Dawn – she was like a perfect goddess. Someone no one could ever aspire to be… and she had Ash wrapped around her little finger.

_Because only she knew Sato._

No matter how good she became, Anabel could never remember Sato. She could never get to know him. His life had passed, his memories were finished, and now only Ash existed. …except when Maya was around.

_When Maya was around, Sato existed again._

Emotions inside Ash she _never recognized_… she _never knew existed_… she could _never understand_… _appeared _when Misty was Maya. And Misty understood Sato, and Anabel never could…

…

_Anabel…_

Ash wiped a tear from her eye.

She held his hand and wiped away her own tears.

_It's like Anj and I fought over nothing at all._ She gave a weak smile. _We lost before we even started._

…

_You love Maya, don't you?_

…

_Don't you?_

…_nothing in me says that I don't._

_Then let's make sure that you can keep loving her… by stopping Team Rocket for good._

_Anny, I–_

_Please don't._ Her hands wrapped tightly against his. _Don't. Not now. Please._

In her heart, she was _caressing him_. _Holding him close and giving him everything she ever wanted to give. Giving him all of her heart, body, mind, and soul. To give him everything he deserved…_

An _entire lifetime of love_ played out in her heart as it _slowly shattered_.

And he _felt _every _second_ of it.

It was her _farewell_. The only thing she could give him.

Opening her eyes, she could see him. His fingers wrapped around hers. His blank eyes staring directly into her heart, as tears rolled down his cheeks.

She _hated_ that he felt every little bit of it.

But in a way, she _cherished_ it…

_Because it showed, that even for just a second, he loved me back truly…_

**DAAAGAAAA!**

**DAAAAAGKAAAGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOG!**

The sounds of reality pulled them back in.

A **frightening noise**, as if the sky was tearing itself apart, came from the arena.

The ground shook – or rather, it had continued to shake, and they had just begun to notice.

Where there had been the solid earthed arena, was now a storm of light and sound.

Chunks of dirt, sand, and rock flew. Waves of water, mud, and liquefying particles **sloshed** in a whirlpool-like effect. And flashes of light from metal hitting stone, **sparked** every few seconds.

Sabrina hovered _calmly _within the deadly storm of elements – her _psychic energy_ providing the fuel to the chaos. Her conduits, a venonat that shot a high-frequency Signal Beam into the dirt, a scyther that spun with its Sword Dance around the Psychic, and a marill that provided the never-ending stream of Water Gun into the battlefield's corners, continued their work with _tiring_ efforts.

"**Go Go Sabby! Go Go Sabby!"** a unified chanting cheer had built up within the audience sidelines. Like an entertained group of fans watching their team succeed in the last quarter, the six excited members and their pokémon applauded the Psychic's power.

Anabel wiped away the last remnants of her tears and giggled. "It feels like we missed something huge."

Ash did the same. "Y-Yeah."

As if she had been waiting for their attention, Sabrina took a deep breath and closed her eyes – seeming like they held their breath with her: every particle of rock and water froze in mid-air.

With a twitch of her eyebrow, the three helping pokémon were _forced _back into their poké balls – much to the surprise of Tracey.

…

…

The items continued to be frozen in time.

The Psychic was _waiting_ for one last thing.

"**Show 'em, Sabrina!"** Ash shouted.

Opening her eyes, Sabrina exhaled with a smile.

Her _psychic energy_ swirled into a maddening cloud of purple and blue. It absorbed the elements of earth and water – creating a solid coat of physical armor.

With a **snap** of her fingers, the psychic-cloud drove itself down as a spike.

**KAAAK-KOMMM!**

Floor after floor, concrete, wood, dirt, and glass were **shattered** and **obliterated** by the _psychic-drill_… leaving nothing but giant gaps and tears.

As each floor was decimated, the next floor was revealed – often with the surprised and panicked occupants failing in their attempt to avoid its collision. Pokémon and human alike that were in its path were immediately _shoved away_ by its immense psychic force – rendering many of them unconscious.

"**Ho-Ho-Holyyy crap!"** Angie applauded with an excited laugh.

"_And there…"_ Sabrina panted. _"…is your shortcut."_

She floated softly to the sidelines. Allowing the audience to catch her.

Maylene slapped the Psychic's back roughly as she laughed. **"THAT WAS SO AWESOME! You're my favorite person ever, Sabby!"**

"_Don't… call… me that…"_ Sabrina muttered as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

Tracey jogged towards them stiffly, his jaw wide open. **"DID YOU SEE THAT?"**

"**That was SO SO SO SO AMAZING!"** the new Bianca squealed as she clapped nonstop. "Oh! This adventure is becoming too great! **Group hug everyone!**"

The blond-haired woman pulled in everyone for a hug, much to the semi-conscious Psychic's _agony_.

Casey successfully pulled herself away from the dreaded embrace. "**So wait…** if she could've done that in the first place. Then **why** did we plan on taking the stairs?"

**Yells** and **commands** could be heard from below.

Slipping out of the hug, Angie peaked down the massive hole, where she noticed several Team Rocket members staring up the broken floors. _"I think it was so we didn't have to deal with that…"_

Not able to escape new Bianca's hold, Maylene curiously asked, "Deal with what?"

Golbats, crobats, skarmories, pidgeots, fearows, and staraptors burst out of the hole in a swarm of fury. Each carried a Rocket member with several poké balls in their belts. All _ready for battle_.

"That."

"_**Everyone pull out all their pokémon!"**_ Ash shouted.

He nodded in Pikachu's direction. _**THUNDERBOLT!**_


	32. Chapter 32 Collision

_That's the fourth time she's looked at me…_

"Is something wrong, Dawn?" Misty turned her head against the strong winds and faced the blue-eyed Coordinator with a friendly smile.

Team Two had been flying for hours in the sky, awaiting patiently for their scouts to return as they continued towards their destination. These hours were spent mostly in silence, with this conversation being the first Misty had participated in during the flight.

"Hey Mist?" Dawn asked with a look of concern.

"Yeah?"

"What are your plans after this?"

"After we capture the base?"

"No… I meant after the entire mission."

Misty felt a twinge of _surprise_ in her heart. It was a question she hadn't really given thought to – at least, in a logical fashion.

In a way, she thought the adventure would never end. Ash would keep travelling, and she'd follow. _Just like the old days…_

But the more she thought about it, the more she knew she couldn't.

Professionally-speaking, she had accomplished more when she ran her Gym than when she had travelled with him. Though she had affected more lives through their adventures together, she had never really grown up until she left him. Her skill and maturity being held back as she acted as Ash's support.

And for herself, she wanted _to continue growing…_

"I…"

'_I'm going back to the Gym' _is what she wanted to say. But _something _inside stopped her. Her sentence trailed off as she felt a pain in her chest.

Misty pressed her hand against her heart. _"I…"_

Dawn instantly became worried by the Gym Leader's reaction. "**Misty?** Is something wrong?"

"I want to stay with Sato…"

…

The words that came from her mouth stunned Dawn, and herself.

At times, she'd forget. At times, she'd remember. It was never on her terms. Yet at this moment, _Maya remembered_.

"You know… about _Sato_?" Dawn asked hesitantly.

"You know about _my Sato_?" Misty blinked towards her. The Cerulean Gym Leader's face seemed to change entirely. Though her features remained the same, a certain glow came from her.

"'_Y-Your Sato'_?" The blue Coordinator shifted her charizard further away in shock. "Wh-What do you mean by _'your Sato'_?"

Misty's appearance remained foreign to her friend. "Sato's my Sato. No two ways about it." she giggled with an innocent smile.

Despite wanting to demand further answers of how Misty knew, Dawn was far too unnerved by her shifting façade and personality. "M-Misty? Are you okay?"

"Misty? Who's _Mist_–"

Gritting her teeth, Misty wrapped her fingers around her head.

"Misty?"

"**What?**" She glared at Dawn.

The Coordinator shrank back. "_Er… are…_ are you okay?"

Letting out a sigh, Misty reconfigured herself and sat up straight. "_Fine._ Just fine."

"H-How do you know about Sato?"

Misty's brow twitched. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"_Um…_"

…

Dawn was too frightened to continue the topic, but she was unsure how to drop it as well. She didn't have to.

**Sigh.** "I don't know how I know about him. I just do." Misty answered. "And that I'm this girl named _'Maya'_ apparently."

The Cerulean Gym Leader shrugged as if it was just an uninteresting thought.

To Dawn, however, the news was catastrophic.

Dawn was about to glide away to give herself some personal time, when Misty continued, "Honestly, I don't know what I plan on doing. _I want to wait and see what happens first…_ …How about you? What are your plans?"

"_I… um…"_

…

Even to a non-Empathic, it was obvious that the blue-haired girl was upset. Just the sight of her made Misty pity the girl – even if she didn't fully know what there was to pity.

"It's about what you saw in Alto Mare, isn't it?" she took a worried guess.

Holding back her tears, Dawn simply nodded. A small whimper came from her throat.

"_Hey…_" Misty guided the charizard to fly slightly lower than Dawn's; allowing her to look up to the Coordinator's lowered face. "I don't know what happened back at Alto Mare. No one's told me yet."

She smiled. "And frankly, I don't really want to know yet. I'm kind of scared to know. But whatever happened there, really shouldn't affect what's happening right here, right now, okay? We've got one long battle ahead of us… lots of things can happen between now and when we're finally done. And in the end, whatever happened back at Alto Mare will seem like nothing."

Dawn smiled back and nodded.

It wasn't Misty's encouragement that cheered her up – as she knew full well that the vision the three saw back at the paradise island was what this entire universe revolved around… It was Misty's obliviousness to the entire situation that made her smile.

As long as she didn't know, there was still a chance to make a difference. _A chance to be better than Maya._

_In that vision Maya admitted to only spending two months with Ash…_ Dawn thought to herself. _I mean, Sato. I know I spent more than just a measly two months with him! Even if I only have one last day to make him see that the moments we shared were special… that's all the time I need._

The Coordinator's face lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? **Let's capture that base!**"

With a kick, the charizard was spurred into diving, increasing its acceleration.

"Hey wait!" Misty followed.

"_Where are you guys going?"_ Ritchie called out from behind as he sped Zippo to catch up with them.

Liza and her team of charizards silently followed suit.

_I didn't think my words were THAT encouraging._ The Gym Leader scratched her chin in confusion.

Dawn's eyes narrowed. _Just you watch, 'Maya', by the end of the day, Ash will be mine._

* * *

><p>Breaking through the late afternoon clouds, two figures jetted towards the small group at extreme speeds. In the front, the lightning-fast Eon Pokémon Latias. Trailing tiredly behind, Bianca and the exhausted charizard entrusted to her.<p>

"Scouts are back!" Dawn called out.

Latias was the first to arrive, spinning to a halt beside Misty. Whatever it had in mind seemed important. The orange-haired Gym Leader smiled nervously, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to understand anything she wanted to communicate.

The Eon Pokémon's eyes shined blue.

In an instant, the world around Misty changed. The clouds and skies were replaced by tall canyons. Ahead of her was a large fortress with a large _'R' _emblem proudly worn on its front.

"_The Team Rocket base!"_ Misty whispered to herself.

She looked around. The entire valley was empty.

Not a single soul was to be found… and the hidden tunnels were still intact.

"_Where in the world is Beta team? I thought they were supposed to be there already…"_

The valley began moving.

Backtracking away from the Rocket Base, the vision focused on a small patch of land just outside of the canyon.

A crack appeared and broke into a large hole. Its maker, a swinub, was the first to crawl out.

After patrolling the immediate area with sniffs, it returned to the edge of the opening and hopped excitedly.

It was returned into its poké ball in a flash of light.

Six bodies riding on the back of dodrios leapt out of the fissure.

"_Beta team!"_

The vision disappeared and Misty found herself in the high skies again.

She blinked in surprise towards Latias. "Sight Sharing! I completely forgot you had that!"

Latias smiled back, happy to have impressed their team's leader.

"_They're directly below us!"_ Bianca called out, finally within shouting distance. _"Beta team's just under us! Under the clouds! They got here through a tunnel they made themselves!"_

"You heard her, Team Two! **Dive!**" Misty commanded as she began her descent.

The others followed immediately.

Passing through the cloud floor, they could see the small group far below them. Beta team was putting away their dodrios and cleaning the dirt from their clothes.

At the sight of a swarm of massive charizards bursting from the clouds and closing in on their location, the grounded team panicked and pulled out their poké balls.

"**BETA TEAM! WE ARE NOT ENEMIES! I REPEAT! WE ARE FRIENDLIES!**" Misty shouted as loud as she could.

The group below hesitated, but still planned on a fight.

One of the figures stopped the rest of the team with a wave.

It looked up and waved enthusiastically_. "__**MISTY? IS THAT YOU?**__"_

"**BROCK?**"

* * *

><p>"Brock!" She hugged her friend tightly before stepping away. "What are you doing here? I thought you went to Alto Mare with Ms. Ketchum!"<p>

The former Pewter City Gym Leader nodded. "I did. But after finding out Team Rocket was after Ash? **No way **I could stay there and do nothing! I had to find someone to help him out!"

His lips immediately frowned. "You won't believe what we found out… this is a lot deeper than we originally thought."

"We already know." Dawn stepped forward with a grin. "Hey Brock."

"Hey Dawn! You're here too?"

"**DAWN?**" Brock was immediately pushed out of the way. "_**AAAHHHH!**_** I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN FOREVER!**"

A woman wearing a large white newsboy cap sprung towards the Coordinator and wrapped her arms excitedly around her neck. Dawn was knocked back several steps.

"L-Lyra?"

"_Ohhhh!_ I've missed you **so** much!" She hugged tightly. "Where have you been? What have you been up to? Got a boyfriend yet? Is it Ash?"

Misty's brow twitched.** "AHEM!"**

"Oh whoops! Introductions!" The excited Pokémon Trainer let go of Dawn, causing the Coordinator to drop.

She shook Misty's hand. "Lyra! Friend of Dawn's!"

"Misty. Cerulean City Gym Leader." She hoped the title would intimidate the girl into being less excitable. "Pleased to meet you."

"A Gym Leader? Hey Brock! She's a Gym Leader too!"

"_Uh… I know._ We've met. We're friends." He laughed in slight embarrassment for her.

"_Mm…_ Brocky? Who are these people?" A black-and-red-haired woman appeared by his side, latching onto his arm.

"_B-B-Brocky_?" Misty held back a laugh.

"Oh! _Uh!_" Brock blushed heavily. "Lucy… these are my friends. This one's Misty. A Gym Leader from Cerulean City."

"A pleasure." the woman responded with a smile. "My name's Lucy, a Frontier Brain."

"Another Frontier Brain? What are the odds of that?" Misty blinked. "Would you happen to know Anabel?"

"Anabel… I have met her a few times, yes." She frowned. "I am sad to hear of her disappearance, however."

Misty shook her head. "Oh – Oh **no**, we already rescued her."

"You already rescued Anabel? **That's great to hear!**" Brock patted her on the arm. "_And what about Ash?_ Any luck?"

Dawn hopped forward with an excited grin. "Who do you think sent us here?"

"Ash sent you here? **You found him already?**"

The Pokémon Breeder ran his fingers through his hair. "_Wow…_ all this news is intense!"

"Let me introduce you to the rest of my team." The Cerulean Gym Leader stepped aside. "**Team Two!** Introductions!"

Four stepped forward in a line.

"My name's Ritchie. Pokémon Trainer." He offered his hand for a shake.

"Dawn! You already know me." She chimed in with a wink. "Coordinator."

"Bianca. _Uh…_ sketch-artist, I suppose?" She grinned nervously.

The fourth simply waved silently.

"Ritchie? Bianca? You even have Latias in your team!" Brock greeted each of them. "Where have you guys been? How have you been?"

A fifth walked towards them casually. "And Liza. Former caretaker and guardian of the Charicific Valley. Nice to see you again, Brock."

The charizards lined up behind her and bowed.

"**L-Liza?** And the charizards? What? _When…_ What happened to –!"

"Long stories." Misty dropped the enormous topic. "Now how about you introduce us to your team, _Beta team leader_?" She giggled at the title.

"**Oh no, no.** This isn't my team!" He laughed nervously.

Shoving him aside, a figure stepped forward. It seemed to be mostly composed of purple hair.

"I'm Beta team's leader." it spoke.

Misty jumped back at the sight of the creature. "**Ah!** What is that thing? A pokémon?"

"**Who are you calling a pokémon?"**

Misty looked down… noticing that the large fluff of hair belonged to a girl of deep-tanned skin.

"My name's Iris. And **Gary** put me in charge here! Who do you think you are barging in on our operation?"

Misty blinked at her in disbelief.

…

"…_Gary put this runt in charge?"_

"**WHO ARE YOU CALLING A RUNT?"** Iris** slammed **a hard kick against Misty's leg.

"**OW! YOU LITTLE –!"**

"**LITTLE?** You're just asking for it, CACTUS HEAD!"

"Asking for what? I don't remember ordering SHRIMP!"

The two locked eyes and growled.

"_They have the same temper…"_ Brock sighed.

"Indeed." Lucy giggled to herself. "I wonder how well our teams would work together."

"_**Teams!**_ Right! We need to continue introductions!" Lyra ran passed Iris and grabbed one of the two remaining figures. Dragging him towards Dawn, she exclaimed, "Look Dawn! It's Khoury~! He's my boyfriend now!"

The green-haired Pokémon Breeder blushed shyly and adjusted his glasses. "H-Hello, Dawn."

"B-Boyfriend?" Dawn was about to squeal. "That's **so** cute!"

Lyra snuggled against Khoury's cheek. "He's just the cutest guy ever! How could I refuse?"

She stopped and leaned towards Dawn. _"Soooo… are you and Ash together?"_ she whispered mischievously.

"_Not. Yet."_ Dawn winked.

Lyra's jaw dropped. "_Y-Yet?_ That means you're actually considering him now? **AAAAAAAHHH!**" she let out an excited shriek. "**I'm cheering for ya' girl!**"

Khoury pulled away from his girlfriend's strong grip and approached one of the charizards. "I've never seen charizards this large before…" he gasped, inches away from touching them.

"**Please do not touch the charizards."** Liza automatically said.

Khoury jumped in surprise.

Liza shook her head and waved apologetically. "_Er… s-sorry_. You can touch them."

The glasses-wearing Pokémon Breeder ran his hand against the charizard's scale-like skin. "By their size and physique… I'd say they're naturally bred! But to see them so large just boggles the mind! No trained pokémon would naturally exceed their standard sizes easily… especially to have **all **of them the same size! **Fascinating!**"

"_That's because they're not trained._" A lime-green-haired man walked forward. "At least, not in the conventional way. These strong and savory charizards are of a premium grade… yet don't seem to share any typical sorting or drying procedures to make the perfect cup with Liza."

"_Oh look at the nerds talk."_ Lyra teased with a laugh. "Hey, tea-head! Translation?"

Dramatically pointing towards the charizards with spread fingers, the man presented his conclusion, "These pokémon, despite their strong bond, are, in almost every manner,_ wild_."

"**Wild?**" Khoury adjusted his glasses. "That's impressive!" He grinned towards Liza in enthrallment.

She raised her brow in reaction.

The Breeder was immediately yanked away by Lyra. "Get back over here, you two-timer!" she growled.

Liza gave her attention to the lime-green-haired man. "Pretty impressive deduction. My name's Liza. And you are?"

Bowing with a flair of elegance, the man introduced himself, "Cilan. Pokémon Connoisseur. Class-A."

"And he's a Gym Leader." Brock added.

"_One _of three Gym Leaders." he corrected. "I run the Striaton Gym with my brothers."

"More than one Gym Leader? _Ohh_! Just like Misty." Dawn acknowledged.

Backing away from her stare-down with Iris, Misty shook her head. "Actually, **they** run it together. When I'm there, they're _always_ on vacation. So technically they don't run it with me."

Bianca tilted her head in confusion. "_Class-A? Pokémon Connoisseur? Striaton Gym?_ I have no idea what any of that means."

"_Ah_, my apologies. I doubt most people within this continent would know…" Cilan smiled and bowed in slight embarrassment.

"'_This continent'_?" Dawn questioned. "Where are you from?"

"We're from Unova." Iris answered with irritation. "We came from halfway across the world with Gary just to stop some crazy organization that followed him there!"

"Y-Yes. This Team Rocket seems quite troublesome." Cilan agreed shyly, unsure if it was in his place to judge a foreign group. "And we are more than willing to loan you our skills in this battle – as your concerns are ours as well."

"What does some crazy group think they're doing trying to control Arceus?" Iris barked loudly as she kicked her heel into the ground. "Who just wakes up one day and goes _'Today I'm going to capture a god!'_?" she mocked. "Crazies…"

"It's nice to meet and greet and all…" Liza interrupted the conversation. "…but shouldn't we be attacking the base?"

Lucy nodded. "We are simply waiting for our –"

Several **explosions** shook the ground, their frightening **booms** echoing throughout the canyon.

"…signal."

Liza's lip twitched as its scar began to have a burning sensation. _Team Rocket's coming…_

"The tunnels are closed." Misty turned towards her team.

"Look Ms._ 'Team Two'_…" Iris folded her arms and sighed. "You probably don't know what we're doing here. So just follow my lead and everything will be –"

"**Liza!** Sky raid! **Bianca and Latias!** Scout area for reinforcements! Signal straight to Liza! **Ground team!** Keep up with me! **Ritchie** covers right! **Dawn **covers left! **I've **got center!"

Iris blinked in hushed surprise.

Brock clapped. "Well they certainly are more organized than we are."

Misty turned and faced Iris' team. "**Beta team!** Get on your dodrios! When I signal, rush ahead of us and act as our shock team!"

Five of them nodded.

"**WHOA WHOA WHOA!"** Iris shouted angrily. "Who do you think you are telling my team what to do? We were sent here first and –!"

The Cerulean Gym Leader stared her down. "Look here, palm tree!"

"**P-Palm tree?"**

Misty continued, "As far as you're concerned, you take orders from Gary! And as far as I'm concerned, I take orders from Ash! And as far as this entire mission's concerned, Gary's protecting Ash! That means Gary's working for Ash! **Your boss is working for my boss**, so you're outranked by me, so you listen to me! **Got it?**"

Iris balled her hands into fists. She was ready to yell back, but couldn't find any method of retaliation.

"…f-fine!"

Misty ran ahead, with the rest of Team Two running and flying to their positions.

…

Beta team was speechless.

"Well you heard the lady! Get out your dodrios!" their team leader shouted.

"**R-Right!"** they responded as they reached for their poké balls.


	33. Chapter 33 Accountability

"**This is by far the greatest adventure I've ever been in!" **The blond-haired Bianca cheered _happily_ as she hopped over another knocked out Rocket member. "Though this would be my _first_ adventure ever, but let's not ruin the moment with details. Well actually, this might **still** be the greatest adventure I'll ever be in! I doubt it can any greater than this! _Oooh!_ Unless we were attacked by ninjas! You don't think Team Pocket has any ninjas, do you?"

"_Rocket._ Team _Rocket._" May corrected with a sigh.

"Oh silly me! Team Rocket! You know, I wonder if they really do have any rockets, or if it's just a metaphor thing. It sure has a nice ring to it though! Rocket. Rock-**et**! **ROCKET**!"

Angie pounded her head against Ash's back. _"Does that girl ever run out of batteries? She just keeps going and going…"_

"Am I talking too much?" Bianca giggled in _embarrassment_. "I'm sorry, I'm just so excited right now. I never thought I'd be on such an **amazing** journey! When I first joined Gary, I thought it'd just be a brave charge into some building with some cool pokémon battles along the way. But **wow** was I wrong! **Psychics? Empathics?** And we're saving a pokémon that **made** this universe! Now that is just beyond words!"

"_Can't she cover the rear or something?"_ the tomboy grumbled.

"That was **your** job." Anabel pushed her. "You're supposed to be guarding us from any ambushes."

"Ambushes? Ambushes from _what_? Sabrina friggin' blew a **crater** through _twelve_ floors! I'd be surprised if anyone would even WANT to ambush us after that!"

Ignoring the current topic, Ash asked their new travel companion a question he'd been meaning to ask, "Hey Bianca?"

"Yes~?"

"What kind of pokémon is that?" He pointed in the general direction of where he felt its energy. "It's not showing up on any of our pokédexes."

"Oh you mean my pignite?" She patted the orange and dark Fire Pig Pokémon on its head. It smiled _pleasingly_. "I'm not too surprised. Unless you got a custom upgrade, I doubt you'd get a pokémon from a different continent on your pokédex. I'm not even sure I know **ANY** of the pokémon I've seen today."

"You're from a different continent?" Anabel questioned.

"_More like from a different planet."_ Angie joked quietly.

"**Oh yes!** Practically halfway around the world! I'm from a region called Unova!"

Ash tapped his chin in thought. "_Unova… Unova…_ Oh right! That's the region Gary said he was going to visit next! Something about new pokémon species being found there."

"Plenty **plenty **of new pokémon to find in Unova these days!" Bianca commented. "Supposedly it has something to do with recent events around the world – causing disturbances that's driving lots of our pokémon out of hiding and whatnot."

"When a god pokémon's captured, I'm not too surprised." Angie shrugged.

"What's Unova like?" May finally joined in on the conversation.

"Oh it's very** pretty**! Lots of trees, and buildings and…"

"I meant what makes it different from Kanto."

"Oh uh… _trees… buildings… um…_" Bianca laughed_ nervously_. "I _uhm_… This is actually my first time travelling. I haven't even travelled much in my own region."

"This is your first time? What age restrictions do they have back at Unova?" Anabel found herself curious… as the woman was at least Ash's age at this point. "Here on our continent, we can leave the home at age ten."

"W-We don't have any different age restrictions. M-My dad just never let me leave the home until now. _He was just always worried about me_."

…

Ash didn't know much about Bianca – and her constantly _flowing, nearly endless, sea of emotions_ had made it difficult to decipher her. But one thing he could tell: _she was lying_.

The other Empathics caught it easily as well.

On face-value, her words were convincing enough. But there was no way to hide her _guilt for being dishonest_.

Bianca looked at them with _worry_. "_Uhm_…"

_Drop the subject._ Ash _felt_ towards the other two. _It's not our business._

_I was never going to bring it up._ Anabel defended.

_You're sounding more like Sabrina every day, Ash._ May half-joked.

"Anyways!" Angie shouted at the awkward silence, unknowing of the private conversation held by the Empathics. "How much further do we have to go, Casey?"

"Why do you… _ack_… why do you keep asking me?" The baseball fan struggled with her side of the load. "I can't scout ahead because you didn't want to help with Sabrina!"

She and Tracey helped carry the still-unconscious Psychic.

"I didn't say I didn't want to help. **You** were the one that yelled _'I'll do it, sir!'_ when Ash asked if someone could help Tracey carry Sabrina." Angie crossed her arms. "I didn't even get a chance to help."

"Well just stop asking me already. Ask Todd once he gets back."

"_RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN!"_

"Speaking of Todd…"

"**I SAID RUN!"** Todd ran passed all of them, sprinting in the opposite direction.

"The kid's faster than I thought." Maylene complimented with a laugh.

Pulling out her poké balls, the fighter released all her pokémon and got into a stance – creating a wall of brawlers to protect the team behind her. "I've been itching for another fight! **Bring it!**"

Loud **CLANG**s of metal and concrete echoed down the large tunnel as something large charged towards them from the darkness.

"**RWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRR!"**

Its roar caused everyone to flinch.

"**Wh-Wh-What is that?"** Bianca and her pignite shook in _pure terror_.

A massive absol of midnight black fur and piercing red eyes galloped towards them with a frightening aura of _hate _and _spite_.

"It's Dice! Get out of the way!" Angie cried out.

While the others cowered back, Maylene and her pokémon stood perfectly still. "Long time no see, Dice! Where's your owner? I've been looking for a rematch!"

It pounced to a halt, just inches away from battle distance.

Emotions of _rage_ flowed through its veins at the sight of the pink-haired fighter.

"…_something's wrong."_ Ash's eyes widened. _"I can… I can feel Dice."_

"What is that creature?" Anabel was shaking, never feeling such a _hateful _beast in her life.

"**Maylene!"** the male Empathic shouted. "Be careful! **Something's different about Dice! **I can actually **feel** him this time!"

"What does that mean? I don't speak Empathic!" she yelled back.

"Dark Pokémon don't feel like anything at all! But this time, I can feel his anger!"

A maniacal **cackle** rang out, silencing everyone who heard it.

"_He's right…"_ A crazed figure appeared from behind the enormous absol. _"My poor Dice is very angry… so very angry…"_

…

Maylene's eyes narrowed. _"…Domino?"_

The once athletic and elegant Rocket Agent stood before them… broken. Her previously perfect golden curls were now ratty and ruined. The prideful and assured posture she used to carry, was now crooked and loosened. And her eyes, formerly a perfect shade of soft purple, were faded and unfocused.

To Ash, he only saw her emotions… _insane… tormented._

"And me…" she continued. "I'm very sad. _So sad._"

"What… happened to you, Domino?" Maylene's guard dropped slightly, showing _true concern_ for her old comrade.

Tears ran down the woman's eyes. _"_They didn't like me returning without Ash, _Maylene. _They didn't like me returning without Solana,_ Maylene. _They didn't like me failing,_ Maylene."_ Her voice seemed distant, as if she wasn't talking directly to them. Talking to voices that had no body.

"She's blind…" Ash noticed. He_ sympathized_ for her. Whatever torture they had put her through had changed her drastically; physically_, emotionally, _and _mentally… breaking her spirit_.

_The colors… the colors… the colors…_ the demented woman repeated in her twisted heart. _The colors… the colors… I am not blind, Ash Ketchum. I can see your colors perfectly._

Anabel and Ash's eyes widened in _realization_.

"_Aren't you happy?_" A terrifying grin appeared across her face. _"To see a fellow Empathic…?" _

She frowned and ran her fingers through the absol's black mane. "…and my poor, _poor Dice_… he can't hide in the shadows anymore, the poor thing. With no more shadows, he's like a fish out of water. And it upsets him _so_ much…"

"_Domino…"_ Maylene _pitied_ her. Seeing her so… _corrupted_, made her heart _wretch_.

Memories of when she trained and competed against her in the Sinnoh Team Rocket Academy ran through her head. Comparing the two Dominos – past and present – was like comparing a dream to a nightmare. She hated Domino, despised her perfect looks and arrogance, but this… _this was just wrong._

"_Sadness_?" Domino faced Maylene, her movements similar to a puppet with a broken string. "Why feel sad for me, _MayMay_? Why remember the moments we had together, _MayMay_? I thought you didn't like me, _MayMay_."

"I don't. But I definitely liked how you were still you back then." The fighter got into a combat stance. "And you're definitely not like yourself…"

"You want to fight, MayMay? You want to _hurt_ me more?"

"I know you're not here to be friends."

"…_never."_ Her Empathy _sparked _with _attempted anger_ – her _flooding emotion_s of _depressions_ swallowing any other feelings from fully surfacing. "_You_ did this to me. _You_ did this to Dice. I would _never_ be friends with you, _MayMay_. _This is all your fault._"

The fighter turned to the team behind her. "**Go ahead of me! **I'll hold her off!"

"_**Maylene!"**_

"Don't argue with me, Ash! Gary and his team's still back there somewhere! Worry about them and stop Team Rocket!"

"We can help!" May pulled out a poké ball.

"**Don't you even**_** dare!**_This is my fight!" Maylene growled, her emotions bursting with _contempt_. "Just go ahead of us! It's my job to fight Dark Pokémon anyways!"

Angie was about to protest, when Ash placed his hand on her shoulder.

He shook his head.

This was Maylene's personal fight… _as private as any other conversation_.

As the fighter only knew how to communicate with her fists, this was her way of _'talking things out'_. Her way of settling past problems. Her way of answering her own doubts.

"Let her." is all he said.

…

Angie nodded and took a step around Maylene.

Domino's blank eyes glared towards her. "Did I _say_ you could leave?"

"**Tyrogue! Low Sweep!"**

The Scuffle Pokémon dashed quickly towards Domino and launched a kick towards her feet.

Domino leapt gracefully onto Dice's back in reaction.

"Now! _**GO!**_" Maylene commanded.

The remaining group sped through, except for an absolutely _frightened_ Bianca.

"_Th-This is t-too much! I sh-should've listened to dad!" _She was curled up against the wall, _refusing to move._

Ash ran towards her and lifted her off the ground.

"_H-Huh?"_ Her face turned pink.

"We've got to move, Bianca!"

Using the wall as a sliding crutch to balance the blond-haired woman's surprising weight, Ash ran passed Maylene and the massive absol.

Dice was ready to turn and give chase, but his partner prevented him. "_Shhh… there, there, Dice._ We have more important prey…"

Within seconds, the group disappeared deep into the large tunnel.

Only Maylene and her pokémon remained now.

Facing the fighter, Domino cocked her head unnaturally and smiled. "MayMay's _quite_ the hero. Sacrificing her _little life_ for her friends. _How sweet._"

The Fighting Pokémon surrounded her and her absol, stiffening into their stances.

Rolling her shoulders and cracking her knuckles, Maylene prepared herself for the fight. "Not a hero. Just an excuse to get that rematch I've been wanting."

"_MayMay_, so shallow. You want to fight me alone just because you couldn't stand a chance against me in Saffron?" She hopped off Dice and laughed _miserably_. "If you couldn't beat me then, what makes you think you can beat me now?"

"No." She frowned. "_This isn't for Saffron City._ This is for that fight at the _Academy_. This has _**always**_ been about that fight."

"The Academy? MayMay, _you have quite the memory_…"

Maylene frowned. "If I had won in that round, I would've gotten a higher rank… I would have been able to pay back my father's debts in a matter of** weeks**! But _you cheated_… you cheated me from that… making me spend **years** working for cheap checks and poor bonuses…"

"This is Team Rocket, Maylene… there's no such thing as cheating. And no such thing as _mercy_." Tears ran down her cheeks as she gave a _desperate_ smile.

She pulled a black tulip from her belt and threw it towards the fighter's head.

Maylene ducked and countered with a tackle.

The Rocket Agent dodged easily.

"Tell me, MayMay. How do you plan on beating someone** so much** better than you?" She leapt over a quick kick and side-stepped a punch. "_Especially now_… when this someone can _read _your every move before you even make it." She laughed_ darkly_.

Maylene held back her next attack and smirked.

"_You know…_ you're not the first blind Empathic I've fought."

…

…

"MayMay? **Where did you go?**"

The fighter had _disappeared_ completely.

No emotional traces. No readable feelings.

Only the _colors _and _temperatures_ of the surrounding pokémon remained.

"How… **UKK**!"

A bare foot planted against her stomach, followed by three elbow strikes to her face.

"**AAAGH!** _HOW ARE YOU - …_" Domino's blank eyes widened as a _shocking realization_ ran through her mind. Her _anger erupted_, slowly being _evaporated_ by her _cold sadness_. _"You…"_

She began sobbing. "_You did this…_ _**you're the one**_ that took the manuals!"

"Manuals?"

"They said _a thief_ took the manuals…" Domino continued her sobbing as she got into a fighting stance. "…the manuals for their research… _such valuable research_… _you made it all go away_… and they blamed it on _**me**_…"

"What do you mean?" She retreated a few steps, wary of the sudden change in Domino's movements.

"_Doomiinoo… Doomiinoo…" _she hummed hauntingly. Her eyes locked onto nothing in particular. Her words meant for no one but her dissolving sanity. "Protect the manuals. They're our future…"

Leaping off the ground, the broken woman spun several kicks towards Maylene.

_How's she seeing me?_ The fighter dove underneath and rolled into a different stance.

"_Doomiinoo… Doomiinoo…_ Where are the manuals? They were our future…"

Three backhanded strikes flew towards Maylene. She blocked two of them and grabbed the third one's wrist.

With a _wretched_ smile, Domino added her weight downwards and forward, controlling Maylene's grab to close the distance. She twisted her forearm and smashed her elbow against the fighter's cheekbone.

Maylene let go and shuffled several feet back. _…she shouldn't be able to see me… what's going on?_

"_Doomiinoo… Doomiinoo…_ Three strikes and you're up, _Doomiinoo… _Three strikes and we'll use you for our experiments, _Doomiinoo…_" Domino curled into a crouch. "Strike** one**, _Doomiinoo…_"

Pulling a hidden tulip from her boot, the Rocket Agent used its sharpened tip as a dagger as she swung it frantically in Maylene's direction.

The fighter avoided the slashes and stabs with quick bobs and weaves.

"_DOOMIINOO!_ You lost the boy, _DOOMIINOO!_ STRIKE **TWO**!"

Maylene leaned in and jabbed Domino's stomach. The Rocket Agent barely flinched as she swung down and stabbed the tulip into the fighter's shoulder.

"_**AAAAAHHH!"**_ Maylene screamed as she stumbled backwards.

Electricity spread throughout her body, stiffening her every movement.

She fought to relax her muscles – in an attempt to bend her arm back and pull the black tulip from her shoulder. But the effort was almost useless, as her arm would flex into its original position every few seconds.

"_DOOMIINOO!_ You lost the girl, _DOOMIINOO!_ **STRIKE THREE**!"

She swung her leg up and slammed her heel against Maylene's head.

The fighter crumpled and crashed against the wall.

Her body was immediately relieved from the electricity as the impact of the wall had dislodged the tulip from her wound.

Maylene tumbled to the floor and struggled to roll away, her body still having spasms from the earlier shock.

Domino began sobbing hard again. "_**DOOMIINOO! DOOMIINOO!**_ WE DIDN'T FORGET, _**DOOMIINOO! **_WE NEVER FORGET, _**DOOMIINOO!**_ YOU'RE NOTHING BUT OUR LAB RAT NOW, _**DOOMIINOO!**_ YOU AND YOUR PRECIOUS DICE, _**DOOMIINOO!**_"

The large absol's mouth twitched.

Maylene's eyes caught it. _Dice! She's using Dice to see me!_

Breathing hard, she did her best to concentrate her body into unclenching her jaw.

"_Doomiinoo… Doomiinoo…"_ the Rocket Agent's voice returned to its soft melancholy tone. "You're no longer part of our future,_ Doomiinoo…_ You'll no longer be a part of anyone's future, _Doomiinoo…_ _No one_ _will __**ever**__ want you again_, _Doomiinoo…_"

The somber woman dropped to her knees and crawled towards Maylene, pulling out another tulip. "_And it's all… __**your**__… fault, MayMay…_"

Maylene's jaws finally loosened. "You want to cheat, Domino? Then let's cheat! **ATTACK DICE!**"

The Fighting Pokémon leapt from their guarded positions and rammed into massive absol.

Maylene _vanished_ from Domino's sight.

"**NOO!"** She stabbed down, the sharp end of the tulip snapping against cold cement. "NOO! I HAD YOU! YOU CHEATED! **YOU CHEATED, MAYMAY!**"

"This is Team Rocket, Domino… there's no such thing as cheating. And no such thing as _mercy_." Maylene slowly stood and cracked her knuckles. "You may have not deserved _this_, but you never turned away from it either."

"**I HATE YOU, MAYMAY! I'VE ALWAYS HATED YOU! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!" **she howled in pure _hate_ and _agony_.

"You took away my childhood by keeping me in there, Domino. You demoted me three times and even stole four of my paychecks." Maylene's voice was cold and unforgiving. "I had to do so much horrible things just to earn all that money back…"

"**SHUT UP! I HATE YOU!"** Domino struck blindly at her, finding nothing at the end of her fists.

"I did what I had to do – just to be able to live with myself. But _this_? You did this to yourself, Domino. I had nothing to do with your decisions."

"**NO! YOU DID IT! IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT IS! I HATE YOU!"**

"Then hate me. Because I'm _nothing_ like you, Domino. You never cared for my problems. But I care about yours. Always have. And one way or another, I'm going to relieve you from this suffering." She let her emotions _show_.

Domino immediately glared in her direction.

"This time, no cheats." Maylene got into stance.

* * *

><p>The Pokémon Ranger sat back and stared into the darkening sky.<p>

**Sigh.** "_Nothing to do… Did they even need me here?"_

"Pilaaa."

Solana smiled. "_Yeah, I know, Plusle. But I really wish I could do more right now."_

The Cheering Pokémon crawled onto her shoulder and cuddled against her cheek. "Pla."

She giggled in response. "Thanks, Plusle."

Staring back up, she watched the rotating patterns of the charizards and pidgeottos.

"I wonder if there's anything for us to even watch for…"

"_EXCUSE ME!"_ a voice called from below.

Panicking at the sound, Solana sat up and looked over the building's edge.

_Why in the world didn't anyone warn me about the intruder? … oh._

Below, an Officer Jenny stood and waved up at her.

_Just an officer._ Solana felt slightly disappointed, secretly wishing for trouble.

"Good evening, officer!"

She didn't seem to be happy to see the Ranger.

"_I need you to get off that building right now and call back your charizards!"_ the officer directed angrily. _"You are in violation of private property, vandalism, disturbance, and after hours laws!"_

Solana simply raised her Capture Styler. "This is Pokémon Ranger business, ma'am!"

"_We were not given notice of any Ranger-related missions in our area!"_

She sighed in slight irritation. "**Code five-five-four-two-one!** You are now legally bound to allow me to continue this private investigation, protection, and use of the premises for a forty-eight hour period! By Ranger laws in the Kanto region, no foreign parties are permitted to interfere until then!"

The code was not one Solana had used often, but one she memorized by heart… as it was the one answer she had failed to get correct on seven of her tests back in the Ranger Academy.

While Pokémon Rangers often worked with authorities, and a situation such as this would have benefited from outside help – Solana knew full well that what they were doing would not have been sanctioned by the Rangers or any other group without proper evidence. She didn't have the evidence… _yet._

…

The officer didn't move.

With a glare, the ranger stood. "If you do not leave the premises within five minutes, I will be forced to escort you from the area and call your superiors!"

"_How do I know you're a real Ranger?"_ the stubborn official shot back. _"I need to see your license!"_

"_Are you kidding me…"_ Solana grumbled. "Pidgeottos! Some assistance!"

The four pidgeottos carried her and her partner softly to the platform in front of the ruined door.

Stretching, she exhaled her tiredness and walked towards the green-haired officer.

"License, Ranger."

She was about to reach into her pocket, when she noticed something off…

_Black longneck sleeve._

"…_officer_, since when was it regulatory to wear a black turtleneck underneath your uniform?"

"This is standard issue here in Viridian City. Show me your license, Ranger!"

"_Funny…_ I don't believe I've heard of different towns within the same region having flexible uniform regulations. I believe it was only the Orange Isles that allowed that."

The officer pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "You are refusing the show proper license, Ranger!"

"It doesn't matter if I show you,_ does it?_" Solana backed away. "You were planning to arrest me either way. You just wanted to call my license fake publicly so that you couldn't be held accountable for _corruption_!"

"Now you're resisting arrest, Ranger." She pulled out a pistol and aimed. "**Put down the Styler and place your hands on your head!**"

"Plusle! Thunder Wave!"

**Click.**

Before the trigger could be pulled, a flash of lightning paralyzed the officer in place.

"_Ah! … Ehh! Rrrr!"_ Officer Jenny struggled to move.

Solana walked towards her and tore open the front of the cop's uniform.

A strikingly red _'R' _was revealed on a black long-neck shirt underneath.

"_Team Rocket…"_ the Ranger growled at the sight. "…looks like _you'll_ be the one going to jail, Jenny."

**Clak! – Clak! – Clak! – Clak!**

The streetlamps within the immediate area were shut off, leaving nothing but the moon to dimly light the world around them.

From the shadows, several black figures walked silently towards them.

**Click**s and **Vacuum**s were heard from each of their hands…

Solana took a few steps back. "Looks like she wasn't alone…"

"Plaa…"

"_Yeah, yeah,_ I know – I totally asked for it. I just didn't want these odds."

**CRASH. CRASH.**

The Charicific Charizards landed loudly, forming a ring of powerful protection with their bodies – surrounding the Pokémon Ranger. Their growls and roars stunned the incoming opponents.

"And by these odds, I meant Team Rocket's _poor chances_." Solana smiled. "Let's show 'em what we got, boys!"

* * *

><p>"Wait guys!" May called out. "I think we're missing someone!"<p>

Skidding to a halt, the group began to look at one another.

"It's Todd." Casey answered quickly. "The coward ran and never came back, remember?"

"Should we go back for him?" Angie looked towards Ash for an answer. Her brow twitched in irritation. "**You can put her down now**, Ash."

"_Huh?" _He tilted his head. Feeling the weight in his arms, he was reminded of his carried passenger. "_O-Oh!_"

A tiny emotion of _greeting_ came from the cradled Bianca.

The male Empathic had forgotten all about her, as their panicked run had made him quite used to the physical tiredness and stressed muscles. Making her even more invisible, the blond-haired woman from Unova had also gone almost completely _blank_ on the Empathic scale… her usual stream of feelings and thoughts had _shrunken_ considerably after he had picked her up.

"S-sorry." Ash laughed in complete embarrassment as he let her down.

Her face still pink and eyes still in shy shock, she simply smiled and bowed in _thankfulness_ for his rescue.

"Just leave Todd. He'll find his own way back." Casey huffed. "We still have to clear the way and find Gary's group."

**Fluh-THUMP.**

A body dropped in front of them.

Casey turned, _ready to yell_ at Tracey for dropping the other end of Sabrina…

…he was still holding her.

Instead, another body lay in front of them.

It was Gary… except for the new variations in his appearance. His brown hair was grayed out, his muscles were thinned, and his pale skin showed he was quite close to death.

"**Gary!"** Ash ran forward. Despite not being able to physically see him, the Empathic could see his _familiar emotions_ as clear as day… something he could only notice in _aware _individuals. "He's still conscious!"

Kneeling down, he began shaking his old rival. **"Gary! Gary! What happened?"**

He couldn't see the changes, but he could feel them… Gary was _far too light_ for his usual self, and far too loose.

"…_sh…"_

"What?"

"…_Ash… th-there… th…"_

Gary's voice was weak and broken, his words becoming far more unintelligible with each syllable.

"I can't understand you, Gary…" Ash admitted in worry. Even in the Pokémon Researcher's emotions, feelings were _slowed_ and_ faint_.

Softly placing his fingers against the Empathic's chin, Gary tilted Ash's head upwards.

…

…

Ash couldn't _feel _anything in front of or above him.

"_I believe he was one of yours?"_ an unfamiliar voice asked from the nothingness.

"Wh-Who the heck are you?" Casey growled as she slowly let down her carried end of Sabrina.

Ash's eyes narrowed, noticing that _everyone else could see _the one that stood in front of him.

The man, sporting a large black coat and long silver hair, bowed _haughtily_. "The name's Copper. A pleasure to meet all of you."

"A pleasure! My name's Bianca!" the excitable woman from Unova smiled _innocently_ and bowed back.

_Ash… can you sense him?_ Anabel's feelings came through.

_No. Not at all._

_Neither can I… something is wrong with this man…_

"_**Friend or foe?"**_ Ash demanded.

A smirk ran across his face. _"Foe…"_

They all reached for their poké balls and got into battle stances immediately.

"_Ah – Ah – Ah!_" The man waved his finger at the group. "You see this man I brought you?"

The group looked down. Gary was breathing heavily, trying to stay awake.

"I would bet this man was a** far greater **trainer than all of you combined." Copper complimented only to compliment himself. "And even he couldn't face me. So do you really want to hurt your pokémon _just like I hurt his_?"

_Pikachu! THUNDERBOLT!_ Ash leapt and thrust his fist forward.

A bolt of lightning passed the Empathic, reaching the silver-haired man long before his assault.

Ash tumbled as his punch came into contact with thin air. _"Wh-What the –?"_

The man had vanished.

"_Such an adorable pikachu…"_

Copper had reappeared with an abra, inches away from May, who carried the Electric Mouse on her head.

Before any of them could react, he placed his pinky against Pikachu. In seconds, the yellow pokémon _fainted_, his fur losing color quickly.

"**PIKACHU!"** Ash cried out, feeling his pokémon extension's consciousness _fade_. _Rage_ filling up inside himself, he ran towards where he presumed the attacker stood. **"YOU LEAVE PIKACHU ALONE!"**

Something _cold_ touched his face.

Copper's fingers.

In an instant, Ash felt his life being _drained away_. His _energy, youth, drive,_ and _strength _flowing straight through his face and_ into _the assailant's fingers.

"_N-No…"_ Ash fell to the floor, his last traces of Aura keeping him_ barely awake_.

"**ASH!"** The group roared out, all beginning their charge.

"**Hold it!"** the man yelled. His fingers were tapping against the downed Empathic's collar. "You take **one more **step, and Ash here _won't have enough energy to even breathe_…" A sick smile stretched across his face.

…

They froze, none of them willing to take the risk.

"That's what I thought…" Copper snickered _proudly_. "Now you people will answer a few questions for me…"

He eyed each of them cautiously. The unconscious Sabrina caught his attention first. _"The Psychic Nightmare, eh?"_ he whispered to himself. _"I wonder how much I would be rewarded for turning her in with the boy…"_

He continued his search, darting his eyes at each member.

The lack of someone's presence caught his attention next. He frowned. "Where is she?"

…

"**WHERE IS SHE?"** he roared.

Angie rolled her eyes. "_Oh come on._ There's so many_ she_'s here it's ridiculous! **Be more specific.**"

"**The one with the pink hair!** Where is she?"

"Maylene?" The tomboy folded her arms. "Why do you wanna' know?"

Copper poked Ash. The weakened Empathic let out a small gasp.

Angie's eye twitched.

"I want to know because I want to know. So tell me, or he gets one more touch."

"**Sh-She's fighting that bad lady!"** Bianca blurted in _desperate panic_. **"Th-That scary lady! The one with the big black furry thing! And the scary eyes!"**

Copper looked at her with a raised brow.

…

"Ah! You must mean_ Domino_." He laughed at the blond-haired woman's poor description. "_Then she'll be busy for quite some time… _now… next question…"

While the man played with the hidden questions in his head, Angie thought hard to find a way to stop him. _If I strike him hard enough, it won't matter if he drains me… I can still knock him out, right? _

_But would hitting him that hard kill me? …no wait, he might teleport again… What if I aim for the abra?_ The tomboy watched the small Psi Pokémon hover lazily around its owner. It turned towards her. _…shoot, it can read my thoughts… There's no way I can attack him. But I can't just let him get away with this! Darnit Sabrina, wake up! We need you right now…_

"Right, next question is… where is the other girl?"

"Are you serious?" Angie exhaled hoarsely. "**WHICH** girl?"

"**The spy!"** the man shouted back in _impatience_. "You know which one! The one that let you in here!"

Copper's face showed similar venom for this targeted female as he did for Maylene. Whoever it was, she made an obvious fool of him… which _his conceit would never forgive_.

"Spy?" Casey shared confused stares with her teammates. "We had a spy?"

"You can't fool me! **How else did you get in here?** We had a security system placed throughout the entire first floor! Who shut it off?"

Tracey's eyes narrowed. "Security systems? But Dana and Lance said this place had no security…" _False information… _He grit his teeth. _They were going to use us as bait!_

"Our team did not contain any spies." Anabel answered Copper. "We came as a secondary group. We had ripped our way through the floors to get here."

"Ripped your way?" The man played with his silver hair, _considering_ the past events. "_So you were the ones that caused the earthquake then… _very well, then where is the first group that came through here?"

"COME ON!" Angie was ready to tackle the man now, just for his idiocy. "YOU KNOCKED OUT THEIR TEAM LEADER! GARY!** RIGHT OVER THERE!**" She pointed in pure _frustration_.

"Watch your mouth, little boy."

"**B-Boy?"**

"I know I knocked out their team leader, my question is **where is the rest of the group**?"

"You mean… you didn't find Greta yet?" Bianca tilted her head.

Angie slapped her palm to her face. _How much of a ditz is this girl?_

The man smiled as he faced the blond-haired woman. "_Ah…_ someone who knows about the first team…"

"_Uhm-uh…"_ Bianca's eyes watered after realizing what she had done. She began backing away slowly.

"I wouldn't run away if I were you." He tapped Ash's collar again. _"Unless you want to be responsible of a man's death."_

"**D-D-Death?"** Her eyes widened.

"_That's right._ Death." Copper was enjoying the innocent woman's fearful reactions. _Such a delicate flower… maybe I'll keep her for myself… _"_So…_ Tell me, where's the rest of your team? Or better yet, **tell me where the spy is!**"

"_I… _I don't know! I don't know where she is n-now!"

"But you do know where she **was**. Where she was assigned? What uniform she was wearing? What her objectives were?"

"_I…"_ Tears were running down her eyes. Her knees shook until they buckled.

Pignite stood in front of its owner _protectively_, wishing to_ fight_, but knowing that any action would be regretful. The least he could do was stand as a symbol of defense for her. Deep down, however, it too was _terrified and helpless_.

"**Say it or the boy dies!"**

Anabel wanted to_ read_ Bianca. To read her secrets and shout them out for her, willing to sell out an unknown comrade for the sake of saving her love. _Anything for Ash…_ But Bianca had _retreated_ her emotions. They had _shrunk _considerably. And the only way the skilled Empathic would get the answer now is if she was able to touch the frightened girl. _But would the man allow me? …would he even believe me?_

…

"_**HIS WEAKNESS IS WHEREVER HE HAS CLOTHES!"**_ a startling call shot down the tunnel. _**"IT'S HIS SKIN! HIS SKIN CONTACT MAKES HIM ABSORB AURA!"**_

Copper turned. **"THE SPY!"**

Anabel noticed the abra's _distraction_ by his master's reaction. "NOW CASEY!" She commanded the baseball fan to do what she had been waiting to do.

Before the abra could fully react to the mental command it was given, Anabel sent an _Empathic Shout_ towards the Psi Pokémon. It was _stunned_ instantaneously.

Copper noticed his partner's status seconds too late, as an aluminum bat **struck** the back of his head.

The bat had bent completely, and the man fell unconscious.

Casey stared at her ruined bat in depression. Sighing as she put it away.

Slowly regaining _awareness_ of what had transpired, the abra shook its head.

By the time it had shaken off its daze, Angie appeared beside it – making a frightening face with her fingers, eyes, and mouth.

The shocked Psi Pokémon_ panicked_ and teleported away with his knocked out master.

Having successfully scared a Psychic Pokémon, Angie laughed with _pride_. May giggled at the victory.

…

Any remaining emotions disappeared soon after, as the spy finally approached them.

The group stood _anxiously_ to greet their new member.


	34. Chapter 34 Lament

"**Gary!"** the woman ran forward. Dressed in a coat uniform of black, red, and white – the spy made a convincing high-ranked Team Rocket member in appearance.

_With how separate the ranks are from one another, it's no surprise she easily infiltrated the area. _Anabel considered. _Though, she has to be a rather skilled agent to have gotten this deep into the base…_

The spy was on her knees, cradling the Pokémon Researcher's head on her lap.

Gary's grayed hair was slowly regaining its color. His eyes opened slightly and regarded the spy. With a smile and a slight nod, he let himself fall into unconsciousness.

"You can rest now, Gary… _we got this_."

Looking up, the spy faced each of her new allies.

Her eye made a slight reaction towards Anabel.

_She recognized me…_ Anabel's eyes narrowed. _She does… feel familiar._

Bianca skipped forward and hugged the spy. "Duplica! I'm so glad you're alright!"

"**D-DUPLICA?"** The female members of Team One showed the same form of shock.

May got a frightening _chill_ from the name. She took a slight step back.

"…who's Duplica?" Tracey looked around with an embarrassed smile.

Taking off her uniformed beret and brown wig, the spy stood and winked. "Duplica's my name. Don't wear it out."

Her face and chest glowed bright, as they transformed into two dittos. The two Transform Pokémon landed beside their trainer and posed.

Duplica looked far more familiar now. "With Ditto and Mini-Dit, you can call us the Amazing Team Ditto!"

"_They're a theater performance group."_ May whispered towards Tracey.

"Ah. I see." He nodded.

Angie's mind was elsewhere… _She made her chest size bigger with a ditto…_ She had mixed feelings for the thought… as she stared at her own flat chest.

"So what are you guys doing all the way down here?" Duplica put her hands to her hips. "Our team already had this place under control."

"Sure doesn't look like it." Casey shrugged.

"That's because of you guys calling Gary!" she defended. "It set off a tracker alarm! We were fine before then!"

Bianca's face flushed red with shame. "_Actually…_ I called Gary. And I still w-would've probably called even if I hadn't run into them…"

The copycat slapped her palm to her face. _"Bianca… I swear…"_

"_S-S-Sorry…"_ Her eyes watered.

"_It seriously feels like if we didn't do anything at all, this would've all fixed itself."_ Angie sighed.

"Probably. But it doesn't matter now." Duplica commented with lax care. "Greta is already setting the bombs on the machine."

Ash's unconscious body twitched.

"Bombs?" May asked in curiosity.

"Yeah. Team Rocket made a device to control Arceus once they baited it to coming here. We're here to blow it up."

He twitched again.

"So wait wait **wait**!" Angie growled. "You're saying Arceus **isn't even HERE**?"

"Not yet. But they were planning on making a signal that would've attracted it." Duplica explained. "Why do you think they built this base so deep underground?"

The group shrugged.

"It's so that when Arceus shifts into here, they're too deep underground for anyone to notice its appearance. No satellites, no radars – nothing. If they attracted him on the surface, no matter how large the complex,** anyone** could've easily spotted a god pokémon opening a portal into the area.

"Down here, it's private. No interference. Though I doubt they planned on someone finding out about this place…"After stretching her limbs, Duplica continued her explanation, "They were planning on baiting Arceus into coming here once their device was ready. It would've been ready by tomorrow morning. We're blowing it up before then. That thing won't be given a chance to even breathe."

"_N-no…"_ Ash twitched.

"Ash?" May kneeled down and looked at the male Empathic's face. His skin was gaining back its color far faster than Gary's or Pikachu's.

"**NO!"** Ash sat up immediately, his head **slammed** into May's – and he fell back down. _"OW!"_

The Coordinator held her head in pain. "_Owow… ow… are_-are you okay, Ash?" she asked with a wince.

"You… you **can't**!" Ash crawled up to his feet, with one of his hands in his pockets.

Something hot burned in his pocketed fist.

Duplica stared at him oddly. "What do you mean I can't? And by the way, _nice seeing you again_ too."

"**YOU CAN'T DESTROY THE DEVICE!"** he shouted as he began forcing his body to move forward.

"Weren't you listening? They want to control Arceus with it!" Duplica stood in front of him.

"Why wouldn't we want to blow up the device?" May held Ash still. "Isn't that why we're here too?"

Ash knew none of them would listen… except for one who would blindly follow.

"**Casey!** Pick me up and take me to the device as fast as you can!"

"**YES SIR!"** She grabbed Ash and lifted him onto her back.

"Are you crazy? You **want **them to control Arceus?" Duplica was ready to knock the two out.

_Ash?_ Anabel asked with an almost _uncaring tone_. _Wouldn't this prevent any of that past from happening again if it were solved this way?_

Tracey thought back to the story that was told to him. Nothing about this plan seemed wrong to him. "Ash, I don't think you're thinking this through…"

Angie herself was confused by her best friend's actions. _From what I saw, everything revolved around this device. We have to destroy it, don't we? We're just going to repeat history if we don't._

Ash frowned, knowing what they'd all think and say before they even uttered them. _We already are repeating history. This… this is exactly how it happened. It's happening all over again!_ **"GO CASEY!"**

"**YOU GOT IT, SIR!"**

The loyal girl tackled Duplica aside and began running as fast as she could.

"_We have to stop her, Case…"_ he whispered quietly as his body slowly _wavered_ in energy.

"You can count on me, sir. _You can always count on me…"_

* * *

><p>Stab forward, curve to slash.<p>

Catch, grapple, twist. Disarmed.

Two fist strikes. Second only grazed side. Dodged.

Kick connects to rib. Weakened. Kick again.

Back turned, absorb blow. Second hand gripped to clothing. Weight back, up, then down. Throw down.

Slammed to floor. Counter with defensive heel kick.

Leg grab. Pin chest down with foot. Arm around ankle, twist. Submission.

Retrieve weapon, stab down towards feet. Dodged. Hold weakened, downward kick to break free.

Loosen grab, breaking kick given more force than planned. Take unbalance as chance to pull away armament, toss back. Stomp before full recovery.

Roll to stand. Lean against wall. Press hard to add pressure to next attack. Downward punch, if dodged – follow with reverse kick, if blocked – strike side of head with second fist, if connects – grab and break fingers.

None of the above. Use punch momentum to advantage. One palm to forearm, second to elbow, push.

Thrust direction diverted, land on knees to prevent complete knockdown. Turn shoulder, pull back, regain control. Use kneel to launch upward strike.

Sidestep. Grab sides of head. Propel knee towards chest, slam head onto knee.

"_**AAAAGH!"**_ Domino roared as she stumbled backwards, holding her forehead in distress.

Maylene got into stance again, readying for the next attack.

"_**WHY… I'M BETTER THAN YOU! WHY?"**_ the Rocket Agent cried out.

"No. Domino was better than me." The fighter's eyes narrowed. "You're worse. You're not yourself."

"I'm… I'M STILL ME! _**I AM!**_" Domino screamed as she was about to strike… but held her attack.

Her eyes watered as her frown exaggerated. _"I am…"_ She fell to the floor. Her body finally giving up.

Curling up, she began howling in _misery_.

…

Behind Maylene, the giant absol Dice, lay down in defeat. Lucario being the last of the fighter's pokémon to still stand.

With a sigh, the Aura Pokémon leaned his back against the wall and gave a nod towards his partner.

Maylene nodded back and turned towards Domino.

The woman continued her wailing. A pathetic scene that wrenched Maylene's heart into action.

She walked towards her.

Crouching down, she placed her hand against her beaten foe's shoulder. _"Hey Dom…"_

"_Don't touch me…"_

"…Do you remember that guy from class four-E?"

…

…

"…_how couldn't I?"_ she grumbled back, too weak to avoid her, too lost to ignore her. _"Sven… hottest guy I ever saw…"_

Maylene laughed and sat down next to her. "Remember how we used to fight over his attention?"

"…_you always got him to smile, but I always got him to look my way…"_

"I… think we went a little too far just to impress him…" she smiled.

…

Domino struggled to sit up, Maylene helped her.

"…_I didn't cheat in that fight for him. _I cheated in that fight because I hated you, MayMay…"

Despite her emotions continuously _attempting_ to _drag her back down to madness_, the Rocket Agent held on. Her warm memories giving her protection from the _cold darkness_ that filled inside her heart.

"…_I just…_ hated you. Everything about you… you were so much better than me…"

Maylene blinked in surprise. "**Wh-What?** What are you talking about, Dom? You were the one who was always better! They used to call you _Dominate_ and me _Maybe_, remember? I was just the underdog, you were the queen in that Academy!"

"But you weren't like us, MayMay… I may have been queen… _but queen of what? _A bunch of thieves and liars… you were there to help your dad… and not once did you ever cheat or lie." Domino's eyes watered, darting unnervingly from side to side. "You were this innocent girl who still could smile in a place full of anger and sadness. And we were all just a bunch of idiots that just gave up on life… _and I was the queen of those quitters…_"

"…why did you join the Academy, Dom?"

"_I didn't join…"_ She pulled at her hair, trying to straighten the split ends – still conscious of her looks despite being unable to see. _"…I was raised there."_

"What do you mean?"

"_I mean I was raised there since a babe._ My parents left me in front of the Academy, hoping that they'd take me… because there wasn't a hospital, orphanage, temple, or church for miles and miles… _nothing but Pokémarts and Pokémon Centers…_"

Maylene uncomfortably shifted her posture. "_I…_ I didn't know that. I'm so sorry."

"I was told that if I passed all my exams and physical trials with perfect scores, they'd let me see my parents." Domino curled up and hugged her legs tightly. "My parents were like a mythical treasure… I did everything for them, to make them proud, to reunite with them. _…but it was a lie._ My parents weren't coming back. _My parents would never want me back…_"

She sighed as she choked back a cry. "When I figured it out… when I got too old for those fairytales… I just became…_ bitter_. And by then, I was finally old enough to officially enroll into the Academy. The same time you showed up."

The fighter thought back to the day when she first arrived… the first person who she ever greeted was a blond girl named Dominique… days before she had given herself the nickname Domino.

But to her, she was always Dom.

Maylene had come from a poor family with little sophistication… a name like _'Dominique'_ was far too complicated for her simple tongue. _'Dom' _was the only thing she could really pronounce correctly at that time. And she'd always be _Dom_… until that day Dom cheated her from her one chance of earned success and ruined her life.

'_Dom'_ was her friend's name… _'Domino'_ was the name of the girl from Team Rocket…

"I knew it would ruin your life…" Domino said,_ reading_ her emotions perfectly. "…I wanted it to. You had a family to go back to… a home to go back to. I didn't have anywhere to go, MayMay. I didn't have a home or a world outside of Team Rocket. But you did… _and I hated it._ So I wanted to stall your life until the S-R fully passed."

"…_Seventh Restriction."_ the fighter spat the name in_ spite_. "I couldn't pay off my debts fast enough. By the time it hit, all my work went to nothing…"

Domino nodded quietly. "…after the tell-all interview of those six former Team Rocket members ran on all the networks, the organization planned for the Seventh Restriction to take effect." she explained, to _recall_ the memory completely. "No member of Team Rocket would ever be allowed to leave the group ever again once the S-R passed. The entire organization would become more private, more restrictive, and impossible to quit. _Once a member, always a member…_"

"That's why I stole those manuals, Domino… it was my only way to escape Team Rocket after S-R."

The Agent gave a _depressed _laugh. "_So that was my fault too?_ Figures. Everything I ever did to you, always came back to bite me. You were just born lucky that way… the precious little jewel that the world could never truly drag down or truly harm."

"**But why, Dom?** Why not just some other way of getting revenge on me? **Why put me through all that?**" Maylene glared, _half-furious_, _half-distressed_.

"Because… I'd always be with Team Rocket… _and you wouldn't_." Domino leaned, placing her head on Maylene's shoulder. "You were my only real friend there, MayMay… _my only real heart in this cold and ruthless organization. _I couldn't lose you… _…but you still left._"

She began sobbing. Her emotions being _swallowed_ up by the poison placed inside her.

…

Maylene wrapped her arms around the broken woman's head and rested her chin against her. _"You could've come with me, Dom…"_

"I…_ I was scared._ I didn't know what was out there… _I didn't know anything but Team Rocket!_"

"You knew me." The fighter smiled softly. "Heck, even I don't know what's out here most times. I just winged it. Look at me now! I'm a Gym Leader! _Funny how that works out, right?_"

Domino gave a slight smile back. _"…did you know that Sven's a Pokémon Ranger now?"_

"He is? That's crazy… how do you know that?"

She giggled. "I fought him."

The fighter gave an _awkward_ laugh. "You serious? That must have been really weird."

"Why? I chose that mission myself just so I could see him again."

"…and?"

"He hasn't changed much. Still a flirt… still so darn sexy."

"_Er…_ I meant how was the fight? Who won?"

Domino laughed.

"Wh-What? Did I say something wrong?" Maylene scratched her head _nervously_.

Sighing with a _genuine _grin, Domino nudged her. "_You haven't changed at all, MayMay._ All you care about is fighting… bruising every boy you liked."

"Not much of a man if they can't take it."

"…well, I let him win. And even let him turn me in. Just so I could feel his arms around me." She drooled.

"Are you _sure_ you're messed up, Dom? You don't seem so screwed up now that you're talking to me."

The Rocket Agent gave a _sad_ smile. "I'm just happy… _we're still friends._"

…

Maylene put her hand up to Domino's chest. "Stay still…"

"May what are you…"

"Stay still."

Closing her eyes, Maylene took a deep breath in.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean the door's stuck?"<p>

"I mean it's stuck! Locked! Busted! We're locked in here!"

"At least we're in here as a team. There's nothing they can pull on us that we won't be able to stop."

"Unless they decide to gas the room… or rig it to explode… or have the whole crushing walls or ceilings business…"

"Way to keep our spirits high! That's exactly what we needed to hear!"

**SLAMSLAMSLAMSLAM**

"LIZA! LIZA!"

**SLAMSLAMSLAMSLAM**

"CAN YOU HEAR ME LIZA?"

**SLAMSLAMSLAMSLAM**

Ritchie continued to **pound** his fist against the metal door. "LIZAAA!"

"I doubt she'll be able to hear us all the way in here…" Khoury leaned against the wall and adjusted his glasses. "If she's still guarding the outside, she'd need to be able to hear us through four floors and three steel rooms."

"Maybe we can break the door down?" Dawn looked towards her mamoswine. "Freezing it then tackling it should work, right?"

"It could if it were any of the other doors we passed through." Cilan sighed and knocked on the door casually. "This one, however, was at least six inches thick. We'd need to heat it up, not freeze it. And even then, the melting process would take far too long."

"Well what else are we going to be doing? Might as well do it." Iris grumbled.

"It doesn't matter." Misty turned away from the door. "We still need to move forward. The door can wait."

Brock shrugged. "That may be true, but this room is nearly pitch black. How in the world are we supposed to find our way forward?"

A bright light flashed out, forcing everyone to cover their eyes.

Across the room, a single door was open, the source of light. From the opening, two silhouettes stepped into the darkness.

"Who are…"

One of the figures rushed forward and silenced Brock with a heavy blow.

"**BROCK!"**

Lucy was struck next.

Iris, Cilan, Lyra, Khoury, Ritchie, Bianca, Dawn and their pokémon fell seconds later.

Though three of Misty's pokémon were knocked out, her fourth merely held its head in pain.

The Cerulean City Gym Leader had dodged the attack, having caught the fast moving creature's movements an instant before its attack.

With a** click**, the lights in the room flickered into life. Revealing a barren laboratory, with the intruding trainers sprawled out against its cold floor.

Beside the lab's light switch, stood a large man. His unmarked black coat signifying he was an elite member of Team Rocket… and his revealed face being one that Misty remembered perfectly…

She growled at the recognition.

The man, on the other hand, didn't care to recognize her.

"Pretty quick moves for a trainer…"

His voice was deep and hoarse – a tone that would have been frightening… if Misty hadn't memorized it.

"_You're the one that kidnapped us that night…"_

The man merely raised his brow. "I've kidnapped hundreds of people, lady… So don't take offense if I don't remember you. I don't make an effort to remember weaklings."

He walked towards the center of the room and kicked the unconscious Latias out of his way. "_Though…_ you must not be too much of a weakling if you could dodge something faster than an Eon Pokémon." With a grin he turned towards her and nodded. "The name's Brace… and my partner, Hitmonchan."

Misty glanced to the left. A dark-skinned hitmonchan stood in battle-ready stance. The light boxer tunic the species were known to wear was replaced by a full black uniform with a large red _'R'_ emblazoned on its chest.

"And what would be your name, little lady? I'll gladly remember yours."

"…Misty." She eyed the area around her, trying to find every advantage she could gain by using the environment. "You'll remember that permanently once I beat it into you."

Brace laughed mockingly. "_Really?_ You dodge one attack and you think you can win? Little lady, my hitmonchan just knocked out an entire room filled with pokémon and their trainers – and I haven't even lifted a finger yet. What makes you think that you… and your…" He eyed the last remaining pokémon. "…_pathetic-looking_ psyduck can do anything against us?"

"_She's… not alone."_ Lucy slowly got to her feet, biting her lip to bring feeling back to her face.

The man turned and stared at the snake-eyed woman. "You, I recognize. Pike Queen Lucy. A moderate Frontier Brain, but a _ferocious fighter_ according to rumors. You survived a knockout blow from my hitmonchan… looks like the rumors were true."

"You handle the hitmonchan." Lucy spat out the blood sucked from her broken lips. "I'll handle Brace."

"**NO.** He's mine!" Misty growled.

She leapt back as a gloved punch scraped the tip of her nose.

"_No time for petty grudges!"_ the black and red haired woman hissed, whipping several strikes towards Brace.

The man dodged each attack and laughed. "Is that supposed to be the Arbok Style? Don't you know it's supposed to be used _defensively_?" He launched a lightning-fast punch towards her shoulder. "Leaving yourself uncoiled leaves your style's 'spine' vulnerable!"

Lucy bent her elbow and coiled her arm around his, locking his attack in place.

"**Wh-What?"**

"_This isn't Arbok Style."_ Her eyes narrowed. "Seviper Style. My own blend."

Twisting her body back, she flexed her abdomen, sending a ripple of muscle tension up to her arms. The coiled arm forced itself to straighten, wrenching the man's arm to her control. She aimed its pressure away and downwards, causing the man's back tendons to lock and launching him to the ground backwards.

**SLAM**

"_Y-You!"_ Brace growled as he struggled to get back to his feet.

Across the room, Misty's situation was far more difficult.

Dodging another punch, the orange-haired Gym Leader slid over a counter and rolled to a crawling position. "**PSYDUCK!** PSYCHIC!"

"…duck?" The Duck Pokémon simply tilted its head in response.

"CONFUSION!"

"…psy?"

Hopping over another blow, Misty cried in panic, "WATER GUN! DISABLE! ANYTHING!"

Psyduck felt his trainer's desperation, and did his best to follow her commands. Shutting its eyes tight and forcing its body…

…Psyduck just sighed and tilted its head again. "…duck?"

"**OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!**" Misty dashed towards him and picked him up by the tail.

The dark hitmonchan finally had the girl cornered. It smirked arrogantly. With an inhale, it launched several punches far too fast to dodge; knowing full well she wouldn't be able to stay conscious if any of them connected.

Misty turned in time and used Psyduck as her shield.

"**PSY!** PSY! **DUCK**DUCK**PSY**PSY! DUCKPSY**DUCK**PSYPSY**PSYPSY!**" it shouted in pain from each strike.

None of the pain was felt physically, however…

All bodily stresses formed a cloud of agony in its head.

Misty grinned back at the Fighting Pokémon. "Sorry, you lose."

"Mon?" It pulled away its last punch and stared at the young woman in confusion.

Psyduck's eyes began to glow a bright blue. _"Psy… duck… duck… duck…"_

The glow began to consume its entire body.

"Psyduck… use Psychic."

"_**DUCK!"**_ A powerful wave of psychic energy shot out.

* * *

><p>The ground shook, sending Casey and her rider toppling to the floor.<p>

"Are we already too late?" Ash frowned.

"**No such thing, sir!"** the purple-haired girl squirmed towards the metal door and kicked it open.

As it swung wide, _Ash could see again…_

_Flames._

Fire spread and leapt from surface to surface, covering the large room in a glow of red, orange, and yellow. No more threatening growls of tech activity or power surges came from the room or its devices. The machine that controlled Arceus was finally destroyed…

Standing in the center, Farron and his pokémon celebrated their victory.

Maya and Ramie ran in and began cheering.

Sato walked into the scorching room. Despite the heat, his body felt cool – the heavy burden of responsibility lifting itself from his shoulders.

Leanne appeared beside him. _"It's finally over… isn't it?"_ She sighed. A certain mist of sadness filled her eyes.

"You don't seem happy about it."

"Well… _I'll miss_… all of you."

"You can always come with us."

The Pokémon Researcher shook her head. "_I… _I have quite a lot of work to catch up on… and a lot more papers to write after what we experienced in this insane adventure."

"I can always visit." Sato smiled. "We could go visit that one island you like so much."

Leanne shoved him playfully. _"D-Don't talk like that."_ She blushed. "Maya might get angry."

"_Hm_?" He tilted his head. "Why? It's just hanging out."

Adjusting her hair to cover her face, Leanne huffed and walked towards the group. "Y-You shouldn't toy with a woman's h-heart like that, Sato._ It'll get you in trouble._"

He laughed. "Oh sure, when Farron is surrounded by girls no one cares. I get more than one to follow me around and suddenly it's a crime." He followed after her.

"That's different. He's different. _You're different_."

"Who's different?" Maya blinked towards them.

"_N-No one."_ Leanne shyly went silent.

Ramie eyed Sato with a raised brow.

Sato shrugged nonchalantly.

She responded with a roll of the eyes.

He grinned and stuck his tongue out.

She gave a tilted frown.

Maya was watching the two very intently.

"Quit flirting, you two." Farron interrupted their silent conversation. "Now if I remember correctly, the bet was whoever destroyed the machine gets a free lunch. And seeing that we all took that bet, **each** of you owe me a lunch."

"_Hey!_ That's not how the bet went!" Sato growled.

"_Technically we never specified, so…"_

"Hey, whose side are you on, Leanne?"

An annoyed groan came from behind the Pokémon Master, _"Will you all be quiet already? What's done is done, so just… just get me out of here. I don't want to be here."_

Sato glanced over Farron's shoulder and found a tied-up man with lime green hair. "…is that N?"

Farron winked. "You're darn right it is."

"…you beat him?" Sato's jaw dropped.

"Wasn't easy, but _yeah_, yeah I did." He rubbed his nose proudly. "I didn't get the title Pokémon Master from losing, y'know."

Ramie folded her arms and coughed. "…didn't you lose to him three times?"

He fell over in response. "…w-well, I beat him now, that's all that matters."

"_You haven't beaten me…"_ N's cold voice cut through the jovial atmosphere. "…I said _what's done is done_. I never said it was over."

"I think someone's being a sore loser." Ramie poked his head with her bare toes.

**THHHHHHHHHHHHHP**

…

The fires in the room instantly vanished, leaving the room in an eerie darkness.

Warning sirens were heard in the distance. The room began flickering red as emergency lights lit the area. Sato and the rest looked at each other in confusion.

"_Uh…_ what –"

**GWOHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMM**

**Bursting **into existence, a tiny black ball of energy formed in front of the machine.

"**The machine?"** Maya backed away slowly. "I thought you destroyed it!"

Farron growled. "I thought I did too!" He eyed the large engine… his emotions sank as he realized the detonation only left a large crack in its center. "Well now… _this_ can be a problem."

"Okay, so the machine is definitely **not** destroyed, but what the heck is **that **thing?" Ramie pointed towards the slow-growing whirlpool of darkness coming from the device's center.

"_That… is the darkness."_ N smirked. "In order for us to control Arceus, we had to develop something more powerful than it… In this universe, darkness is the abomination meant to curse our existence. An entity created to always find struggle with creation and destruction… it was meant to better us, strengthen us, make us whole. But in our victory against the darkness, _we have failed as hum_ans."

"Great, riddles." the Fighter shoved a toothpick between her teeth and began chewing it. "Speak normal talk, greenhead."

"_We were never meant to win against the darkness."_ he continued. "We were supposed to coexist with it. Without darkness, we became _sick_. _I brought it back to cure all of us of our disease_… the darkness can control Arceus, because Arceus was made to _**bow**_ to its power."

Farron grabbed N by the hair and threw him to the ground. **"Quit talking in symbols! Tell us what it means!"**

N smiled maniacally. "It means _no-existence_. Not _life_, not _death_. The darkness is the anti-existence to everything. By breaking the machine, you've let it loose. And now it will devour _**all**_ existence!"

"**How do we stop it?"**

"Stop it? _No…_ it doesn't stop. It stayed in the machine because it _wanted to_… because it wanted to control the machine… _to control Arceus_."

Ramie was ready to knock N unconscious.

Leanne stepped forward and adjusted her glasses, studying the machine and the strange blackness… her mood becoming far more confident and studious.

"If this is a form of infinite anti-matter, then the mechanism must act as a matter feeder in order to keep it at a controlled size… and some form of energy must be used to contain it… electricity perhaps? Trapping its particles…"

"Great definition, nerd, but what does that mean for us?"

The Researcher ignored the Fighter's rude comment and explained. "It's leaking, so we push back what's leaking."

"And how we do that?"

"By feeding it matter and energy."

"Even if that's the case, how are we going to keep it **in **the machine?" Farron scratched his head in frustration. "We don't exactly have the materials to patch that thing back up!"

…

"Leanne?"

…

"**Leanne!** Tell us! That black hole keeps growing!"

The Researcher frowned at what she had to say. _"We have to use the device."_

"What do you mean_ 'use'_?"

"We're going to have to control Arceus to reverse its effects! Only Arceus has the power to contain something that powerful once it's let loose!"

"Why don't we just ask Arceus to destroy it?" Maya asked desperately.

N's** laugh **caused them to flinch.

"What's so funny, greenhead?"

He smirked at the Fighter. "_Ask Arceus?_ As long as the darkness is here, you cannot _**ask**_ Arceus _**anything**_. The darkness has already used the machine long enough to have gained full control of the god Pokémon. It no longer needs the machine to make it do its bidding."

"_Then you have no choice but to control it."_ a woman's voice echoed from behind them. _"You may as well take advantage of it and use it to reverse all the damage Team Rapture had caused within the past few months… if you want, that is."_

Appearing in the doorway, a woman in a black bodysuit walked forward.

"Quinn!" Sato ran towards her with a smile of relief.

The Psychic shoved her hand out towards him, freezing him in place with a dark purple aura.

"_**QUINN!"**_ The others reacted negatively to her presence, each of them readying for battle.

"I am not here to fight you." she calmly stated.

"That's funny, I could've sworn the last _billion_ times you knocked us around told us otherwise!" Ramie growled angrily.

"_We have no reason to trust you, Quinn. You betrayed us twice already." _Maya said with a hurt tone.

Farron and his pokémon approached her threateningly. "And you holding our friend hostage at the moment doesn't exactly help your case."

…

Quinn sighed and loosened her grip.

Sato, now free, dove towards the Psychic and wrapped his arms around her excitedly. "YOU'RE OKAY!"

Her face turned pink, while still showing irritation.

The other women grit their teeth in response.

"_Please get off me, Aura Guardian…"_

Sato broke away, still grinning. "I'm just really glad you're okay."

Farron coughed. "So what did you come here for?"

"To help."

"Why in the world would you?" Ramie showed obvious disbelief.

"I'm here for Sat–" she caught herself. "I mean, the Aura Guardian. I owe him."

"Help us how?" Leanne adjusted her glasses and eyed the Psychic's expression, noticing that she had hidden knowledge.

Quinn nodded towards the growing darkness. "I was here to warn you about the darkness. But it seems I was too late…"

"Yeah, great job." the Fighter scoffed. "What good will that do now?"

"I know how to stop it."

"Feed it matter to control its size and redirect it with energy." Leanne shrugged. "Simple."

Quinn shook her head. "The darkness does not simply feed on physical matter and energy. It feeds off emotions, spirit, and mental energy. Feeding it only physical objects and elements will do nothing. You can use Aura and Empathy to control it… but you'll also need a Psychic."

"Then it's a good thing you came along!" Sato cheered.

"Let's just get it over with." Ramie cracked her neck and turned towards the darkness. "I want to go home already."

**VVIII-VIIIIIIIII-VVVIIIIIIIIIIIM!  
><strong>

A spiraling green vortex shattered into reality.

"**Wh-What the heck is that?"**

"_Heh…_" N began shaking. "Heheh… ha… hahahahAHAHAHA**AHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAA!**"

Emerging from the portal, a pokémon of **sparking **energies and elements glared down at the foes before it. _**Arceus.**_

"**The servant of darkness has come here to protect its lord!"** N grinned madly.

"**SHUT IT, GREENHEAD!"** The Fighter jabbed her foot into his rib, silencing him.

A flash of black lightning whipped out and **exploded** near Sato's feet. Where it had struck, nothing was left – not even debris.

"That's… _not good_." Farron backed slowly into the corner, noticing the dark ball of energy turning violent.

"_Antimatter shouldn't be able to do that…"_ Leanne gasped.

"_**Aura Guardian. Orders.**_" Quinn nodded towards Sato.

Sato analyzed the area around him. "…we need to subdue Arceus first and foremost!"

"**Are you crazy?"** Ramie's eye twitched.** "We're going to fight a god?"**

"We can't focus on both things at once." Maya supported. "We have to take down Arceus first before we can seal the darkness."

"**WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT A POWERFUL POKÉMON OR A CRAZY HUMAN! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A GOD!"** Ramie roared in disbelief at what they were planning to do.

"You with us or not, Amy?" Sato caught her attention by using her seldom-used nickname.

…

She sighed. "_Oh for crying out loud_… **yeah**. Always with ya', partner."

The god Pokémon **roared**, sending a ripple of destruction to the world around them.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Wh…What in the world was that?"<strong>_ Casey sat still. Her back still against the male Empathic's legs… in the same position as they were just moments after she had kicked the door open.

"…you saw, that?" Ash sat up immediately.

"Y-Yeah… b-but _**how**_ did we see that? We're not even in Alto Mare!"

…_how did she see it? I thought that only those who had a connection could see it outside of the vision back at Alto Mare…_

An **EXPLOSION** caught their attention.

"_No…"_ Casey pulled herself to her feet, staring at the destruction that lay before them.

Flames.

Fire spread and leapt from surface to surface, covering the large room in a glow of red, orange, and yellow. No more threatening growls of tech activity or power surges came from the room or its devices. The machine that could control Arceus was finally destroyed…

Standing in the center, Greta and her few pokémon _celebrated _their victory.

Except there were no members to congratulate her on her work… only two _stunned_ and _troubled_ individuals who had seen this just seconds before.

"…_run back and get the rest here now, Quinn…"_

"_On it, Sato…"_

Casey ran off, sprinting at full speed down the long tunnel.

…

…

It took the both of them a minute to realize what they had just called the other.


	35. Chapter 35 Loss

The blond-haired, blue-eyed Arena Tycoon stood_ proudly_ in front of the fierce flames. "**OSU!**" She flexed and did a victory pose. "Great job, team! We have thwarted Team Rocket's plans once and for all!"

She sent back her pokémon into their poké balls. "You all deserve a break… let's get some udon when we get home."

"…_Greta."_

Flinching at her name, the passionate Frontier Brain turned and faced a young man. "**Ash?** **IS THAT YOU?**"

She ran towards him and slapped his shoulder in greeting. "Did you come here to congratulate me? Or were you coming here to help? Either way, am I glad to see you again!"

He smiled poorly. _"Great meeting you again, too."_

Greta frowned. "_Hm…_ you don't have as much spirit in you. Something's definitely wrong."

"_You'll see in a few minutes."_ he mentioned forebodingly, nudging his head towards the flames.

She faced the flames, wondering _what there was to see_.

…

…then something stuck out in her mind. "_Wait…_ if I remember correctly… You're blind now. How can you see the fire? How did you even get here on your own?"

Looking back, she noticed the Pokémon Trainer sitting against the wall… his body still showing obvious weakness.

She approached him and sat down. "Is something wrong, Ash? You don't look too well. We also shouldn't stay here… the smoke will build up eventually."

"_No… the fire will disappear soon."_

Greta tilted her head. "How do you know that?" She peered into his blank eyes.

…

"You know…" she responded to the silence. "I saw your battle at the Tsunami Festival. The way you fought was… _just intense_, is the best way I can put it. It was hard to believe you were really blind. Yet here you are. Inside a secret Rocket base, blind. Shows that things are even more unbelievable in-person. You're just_ intense_, Ash."

He didn't respond.

…

Greta was getting _nervous_. She wondered if _he was a spy_ for Team Rocket and had betrayed them… she toyed with the idea that _he was just stalling her for reinforcements to arrive_.

Before she could reach for her poké balls, Ash finally spoke up, _"I'm not a spy."_

_That's something a spy would say…_ Her eyes narrowed.

"_I can't really talk well right now, I'm sorry…"_ Ash exhaled. _"…just give me a minute."_

_A minute's enough time to get your reinforcements here… how stupid do you think I am?_

"_I don't think you're stupid at all…"_

Her eyes widened. "H-How are you reading my mind?"

"_I'm not."_ was all he said.

…

_I heard that Ash is an Empathic now… but I don't even know what that is._ she thought to herself. _All I know is that Team Rocket wants him dead for that reason… now that I think about it, wasn't that Anabel girl an Empathic, too? …and they captured her… if Team Rocket's after Empathics, why is Ash here?_

"_We already rescued Anabel…"_ he breathed out slowly. _"I'm here to stop th–__**AHH!"**_

Ash gripped onto his chest, gritting his teeth. _"N-no…"_

"Ash? **What's wrong?**" She pried his hands away from his chest. _No wound… then what is he…_

**THHHHHHHHHHHHHP**

…

The fires in the room instantly vanished, leaving the room in an eerie darkness.

Warning sirens were heard in the distance. The room began flickering red as emergency lights lit the area. Greta looked around in _alerted confusion_.

"What in the world is goi–"

**GWOHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMM**

**Bursting **into existence, a tiny black ball of energy formed in front of the machine.

"**The machine?"** Greta crawled back in panic. "I thought I destroyed it!"

"…_it can't be destroyed."_ Ash hissed in pain._ "It shouldn't have been destroyed…"_

"What? What do you mean by that?"

He pointed at the slow-growing whirl of darkness with his chin. _"…that. I was supposed to stop that…"_ _but the vision wouldn't let me…_

"**Why didn't anyone tell me this?"** Greta _panicked_, lifting Ash to his feet. "We have to get out of here! That thing looks like a black hole!"

She struggled with his weight, limping towards the doorway.

A blast of black lightning **exploded **in front of her foot.

Greta looked down, her eyes widening at the sight…

Where the black lightning had touched, nothing was left… not even debris.

"I didn't know black holes could do that…" she gasped in _dread_.

_**SATO**_

A_ terrifying_ feeling of emptiness filled Greta's entire being. Her body refused to shake, as it only felt a _numbing tingle_ where emotions should have been.

She glanced at the ball of black energy. "…did… did the black hole just talk?"

Ash's face went pale.

"…_the darkness… it made all of this happen again…"_

"What do you mean 'the darkness'? And made what happen all over again?" Greta felt completely out of the loop. She had _wished _she listened to the discussions and mission briefings Gary had given their group. _It didn't seem that interesting then…_ but now all the missing information felt like it would determine if she lived or died.

"_No…_ it was the one who did all this!" Ash squirmed his way out of Greta's hold, standing on his own two feet – staring into the swirling darkness. "_You… You brought me here._ You brought all of us here!"

_**SATO**_

"**WHAT DO YOU WANT?" **Tears were running down his eyes as he staggered towards the darkness… the one that controlled his renewed fate.

"Ash! Get away from that thing!" Greta shouted, unsure of what she should do.

"**WHY DID YOU BRING ME BACK HERE?"**

_**SATO**_

The darkness _**struck out**_. A bolt of black lightning aiming straight for the Empathic's head.

It hit.

Ash's Aura and Empathy prevented it from destroying his flesh… but where it couldn't destroy, it swallowed.

Several more bolts _**struck**_ at his body… consuming him entirely. It pulled him in aggressively.

"ASH!" Greta ran forward, _not knowing what to do_, but knowing that standing in fear _would do nothing at all._

"_**STAND BACK!"**_

A woman with long, flowing black hair dashed in and knocked the Frontier Brain aside.

Releasing all her pokémon at once, Sabrina and her Psychic Pokémon sent a massive blast of _mental energy _into the dark aura that enveloped the young man.

The psychic attack only tore small holes into the black energy… revealing small portions of Ash's unconscious body inside.

"_**ASH!"**_ Sabrina loosened her attack stance and sprinted forward, her body still showing signs of exhaustion. She ignored the pain and continued in her_ desperate_ dash. Her loyal pokémon followed, each one firing several _psionic lances_ into the void-like entity.

The darkness whipped out several bolts to collide with the psychic assault – preventing any of the lances from reaching the main body that contained the Empathic.

"_**DON'T GIVE IN, ASH!"**_ Sabrina roared, sending an enormous _psychic geyser_ to engulf the darkness.

Reacting to her power, the darkness _exploded_ in size, clashing with her _mental strength_.

Sabrina fell to her knees. Blood dripping from her nostrils, lips, and eyes as she forced every ounce of herself into her attack.

A blast of _blue energy_ **crashed** and **burst** into the darkness, causing it to _flinch_.

"HRAAAAAAA!"

Lucario leapt in and landed a combo of Aura Spheres into his formless foe.

Maylene appeared from a balcony, carrying a half-conscious Domino around her shoulder. "KEEP AT IT, LUCARIO!"

The darkness seemed to _roar _at the intrusion.

Its empty voice was silenced as flares and spikes of electric, ice, fire, water, and psychic powers **crashed** into it. White flashes of powered slashes and rays of Solar Beam and Hyper Beam** erupted** alongside them.

Swarming through the doorway, several pokémon joined in the battle, letting loose their attacks one after the other.

May, Angie, Anabel, Tracey, and Casey charged in after their pokémon, shouting orders and commands.

Bianca added her support with Pignite.

A _confused _Duplica dragged an equally-_bewildered _Gary towards the scene.

"What's going on?" Duplica shouted towards Greta.

"I honestly have no idea!" she responded back.

Gary's eyes widened at the sight of the darkness. His brow twitched…_ recognizing _it.

"…_no…"_

The darkness _stared back_.

_**FARRON**_

He flinched.

It grew in size at the sight of the _familiar _beings…

_**QUINN**_

Casey grabbed her head in reaction.

_**RAMIE**_

Angie's body suddenly became sore.

The darkness continued to grow, blackening the room with its _essence_.

Moving in erratic waves and swirls, it seemed to be _looking_ for something… _someone…_

_**MAYA**_

It reached out, attempting to capture Gary, Casey, and Angie.

"_**GIVE BACK ASH!"**_ Sabrina screamed as she dug her fingers into two female Empathics' arms.

"OW!" May tried pulling away, only to have the Psychic's power render her immobile.

"What are you –" Anabel met a similar fate.

Sabrina coughed out spittle and blood as she wrapped the three of them in a thick field of _psychic energy_.

Dragging the limp bodies of her forced partners, the Psychic dove into the void.

…

…

Silence. Blankness. It was as if time and reality had come to an utter halt.

And in the center of unreality… the young man who held something very dear to her.

Watching him slowly fade into the quiet storm of nothingness, Sabrina cried out.

No noise came from her mouth.

No sound or light existed in this world. And none would ever exist.

The only illumination that lit the way came from the radiance of their life.

Inhaling, Sabrina captured the_ Empathy_ of those she held in her hands…

She focused all of it to her heart. Their every emotion, their every feeling, their every cherished memory…

Exhaling, Sabrina unchained the_** bond**_ that she had formed with Ash.

_**She released her Empathy.**_

Shattering the psychic shield, she exposed her very being to the darkness.

Unreality shook. Each point of contact where the darkness met the Psychic Empathic burst into a fury of colors. The darkness began to ripple into existence, being refused from its very purpose.

Where nothing could exist, an emotion that created all things – in all things – with all things, shined.

And in an instant, all faded into reality…

…

…

The darkness was gone.

An odd silence hung in the air…

No signs of the battle remained.

No fire. No mark. No destruction.

Yet, there they all stood… witness to a war that _never occurred_.

And in the center, lay its only victim.

Sabrina held Ash close, pressing her forehead hard against his as tears fell from her eyes.

Not a sign of harm was on him. Not a spot of blood. Not a speckle of darkness.

But there was nothing inside him…

_Blank._

No_ Aura_… No _emotion_… No _thought_…

His body lived… but in every other way, he lay _dead_.

…

Sabrina opened Ash's hands… wrapping her fingers around the black marble he desperately held onto. The one item that drove him to come to this place… the one item that sealed his fate, and saved others in the process.

She didn't care.

As far as she was concerned, the others could have faded into the nothingness…_**as long as Ash was safe**_**.**

_**The others only pushed Ash. Pushed him further and further… and in the end, left him alone when he needed them most.**_

"_I would have never left your side…"_ She placed the marble into her pocket and rested her cheek against his.

_Ash…_ she thought to herself softly. Her mind far more quiet than it had ever been in her life. _I had just gotten to know you… We hadn't even spent a full two weeks together… yet you became everything that ever mattered to me… everything that I had never known in this world… you became my world… and I'm sorry… I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to save you…_

Her world started to fade, and she could no longer recall what existence truly felt like.

"_Please… please don't go, Ash…"_ she whispered _desperately _to him. _"I was just getting used to our heart… and you left me all alone with it. I don't want to carry it alone…"_

His skin was warm, a feeling that _infuriated _her. It was a mockery of life. A lie of the only truth _she wanted to believe in_.

…

…

…

Exiting through a hidden doorway, a man held a marble of white as it froze in his hands…

"Not even those graced by the gods can escape fate." A smirk formed on his face. "_Goodbye Sato_… without you, we can finally initiate Phase Two…"

Giovanni laughed to himself as he disappeared into the dark corridors.


	36. Chapter 36 Everyone

The reunion with Team One and Alpha team was not the joyous experience that Team Two and Beta team expected…

A heavy air of depression weighed in the cold atmosphere of the early morning.

Greetings were quiet, solemn, broken, or confused.

The newcomers had no clue to what had occurred within the Viridian City Gym until they saw Casey.

Sitting silently with her eyes closed, the baseball fanatic dutifully guarded the resting body of Ash… a red coat blanketing him.

"ASH!" Dawn ran forward.

A sharpened edge of a broken metal bat pressed against her neck. Casey pointed it towards the Coordinator with a deadly look in her eyes.

Dawn froze. "Wh-What happened to Ash?" She glared back to show an ounce of bravery.

The purple-haired girl didn't respond, only baring her teeth to frighten the girl.

Dawn looked around… no one would look towards her. No one would look towards anyone.

Off to one side, the pink-haired fighter Maylene **struck **against the wall continuously – her knuckles and legs bruising, cutting, and bleeding against the dents she formed against the thick-cement. Domino, whose presence alarmed and shocked many, stood quietly beside the Veilstone City Gym Leader. She seemed ashamed of her own existence at the moment, avoiding as many stares as she could.

Wailing loudly in another corner, May and Pikachu held each other close as they continued to weep out the pain in their hearts. Misty tried to approach them, only to have the two cry louder at her questions.

Todd sat on a lone crate, tossing his roll films into the nearby trees.

Anabel and Angie sat back-to-back. One had sat against the other to comfort them. Who had initiated it and who had benefited from it, remained a mystery as the two were in a catatonic state.

Solana leaned against a wall, wearing an unsure face of failure. She seemed to want to say something, but found herself unworthy of mentioning a word. Ritchie walked towards her, causing her to look up with a sad smile.

The only one willing to talk, Tracey, approached Brock and Lucy… bearing news he didn't know how to begin or continue.

Alpha Team… Gary, Duplica, and Greta sat in a circle, all trying to comfort the inconsolable Bianca. Lucy and Cilan joined them in their attempt.

And Sabrina…

…curled up. Her head buried into her knees. She rocked herself gently in silence. Without her red coat, her black bodysuit revealed just how thin she was. The thinness and posture she held gave her the appearance a lost, teenage girl.

Dawn had never seen her look so… _vulnerable_. It reminded her that she was human just like them.

_But what happened…? _She asked in fearful hesitation._ Ash can't be… can he?_

She turned. Casey was back to her sitting position.

Every part of her wanted to move forward again, but she knew that Casey would never allow her.

"Casey… …_Is Ash?_"

"He's alive." Khoury appeared beside her, with Lyra attached to his arm. "His skin isn't pale, and his chest is still moving. He's still breathing. And from the relaxation of his body, I'd say he's in stable condition."

Dawn sighed in complete relief.

"Leave it to my Khoury to use his brain to bring comfort to crazy situations, right?" Lyra giggled.

"Then why in the world is everyone so depressed?" The Coordinator asked boldly.

"_Because Ash __**is **__gone…"_

…

Dawn didn't recognize the voice… but it had come from Sabrina.

"_What do you mean…?_ He's right there."

The Psychic looked up towards her. Her face marked with dried tears and pale markings of blood_. "…but he's gone…"_ the words that came from her mouth were surprisingly higher-pitched. No serious tones or commanding authorities behind it. _"…no thoughts… no emotions… no spirit… just empty. His body works, but nothing else…"_

"That's impossible." Cilan stood up and walked away from his group. "As long as the body continues to function, then his brain should still react in some manner – and his body should still create chemicals that give him emotions. There can be a few things wrong, perhaps an unbalance or disconnection… created by an injury or a virus… perhaps even a traumatic event?"

Sabrina's eyes sharpened. In seconds she read his every thought and emotion.

The_ intrusion_ gave the Pokémon Connoisseur a frightening chill. _"Wh-What was that?"_

"_**Then wake him."**_ Sabrina challenged.

"Wh-What?"

"If you believe he is fine, _**then wake him.**_"

"Even if I was correct, I doubt I'd still be able to wake him. For all I know, he could be in a coma."

"_**You put too much trust in your science, Cilan."**_

_H-How did she know my name?_

"_**Science gives explanations of effects, never causes. All the causes it finds are mere effects of causes that it cannot explain."**_ The Psychic slowly hovered off the ground as she stretched her posture to its full height. _**"Tell me, Connoisseur… can science explain my kind?"**_

Cilan stiffly backed away. _"M-Mental brainwaves in-interacting w-with –"_

"_**A physical explanation for something that has existed long before physicality. Pathetic."**_ Sabrina shot a _wave _of invisible energy, knocking Cilan into the wall.

"_AAHHH!"_

"**CILAN!"** Iris and the rest of Beta team ran to his side for support.

The dark-tanned girl turned towards the Psychic with a growl.

Sabrina's eye twitched. _**"Iris. A weak trainer such as yourself would not stand a chance against me."**_

"**W-WEAK?"** She reached for her poké balls… only to find nothing. _"Where did –!"_

Her poké balls hovered around Sabrina's fingers. _**"An axew, excadrill, and a dodrio. The powerful dodrio borrowed from Gary Oak, the axew trained poorly in an attempt to make up for past mistakes, and an excadrill that refuses to listen to you because of those past mistakes."**_

Sabrina's eyes shimmered. _**"Your only real defense against me is a pokémon you borrowed from someone else… and even then you wouldn't be able to use it correctly. You're a weak trainer. Your strengths are in being brave and quick, but your stubbornness, carelessness, overestimation of yourself makes you weaker than the rest of your teammates. And you hide this insecurity by behaving rudely and dominantly."**_

"Y-Y-You don't know a darn thing about me!"

"_**You're afraid of me. You try to hide your thoughts because you know I'm a Psychic… but I can read your heart clearly. And it's a frail little thing with no true use."**_

"Sabrina! Leave her alone!" May cried out, having had enough of negativity… and fearing that she might hear her own weaknesses within her descriptions.

A_** cold fury**_ swirled around Sabrina as she approached the Empathic Coordinator. _**"**__You have…_ _**You have no right to tell me what to do! YOU DIDN'T SAVE ASH! You were too busy doubting him! Too busy worrying about your own sad side of what you call a relationship with him, that you weren't there to protect him! **__I heard it…__** I heard it all!"**_

She glared at the members of Team One and Alpha team. _"__**All of you…**__ you were all too busy with your own concerns. With your own __**distrust**__…"_

A burst of dark purple energy _**flared**_ from her.

"_**HE TRUSTED YOU!"**_ she screamed hoarsely. _**"HE TRUSTED ALL OF YOU! AND YOU LET HIM DIE!"**_

"**THAT'S ENOUGH, SABRINA!"** Misty roared.

Before she could say anymore, she found herself floating off the ground, an invisible hand suffocating her neck slowly. She began to choke and cough in protest.

"_**YOU!"**_ Tears flowed down the Psychic's furious eyes. _**"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! THE DARKNESS WANTED YOU, NOT ASH! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO SAVE HIM!"**_

"**SHUT UP!"**

A loud **CLONG** rang out.

Sabrina fell to the floor… blood trailing from the side of her head, where a broken aluminum bat had slammed against.

The Psychic glared, meeting Casey's eyes.

No fear. No doubt. _No hypocrisy._

Her eyes were just as furious, _just as broken_.

"_Shut it, Sabrina…" _Casey sniffed away the tears she never wanted to cry. "Ash wanted to protect us. _All of us._ _**Especially Maya.**_ Fighting over this is just STUPID!"

She threw the bat aside and dropped to her knees. "_We're supposed to be working together… as a team._ That's what he needed us to do!"

"And where was the rest of our team, Casey?" Sabrina slowly got to her feet. "You were the only one that listened to Ash. Why didn't the rest follow? If they supposedly had everything invested in him, then _**why did they hesitate to take his orders**_?"

…

"Because we were afraid." Angie stepped forward. "Because we were afraid what following his orders would mean for the rest of us…"

Sabrina turned away from her. "_I trusted you, Angie…_ _you of all people should have never doubted him._"

"But I did, Sabrina. And I paid for it." She grabbed the Psychic by her shoulders and forced her to look into her eyes. "You… **you think this hurts just you?** You think you're the only one dying inside for failing to save Ash?** I CAN'T SAVE ASH! I CAN NEVER SAVE HIM!**

"_You…_ **You Psychics! **_**You Empathics!**_ You have everything and I don't have a single thing in me!" Angie shook her angrily. "I couldn't save Ash even if I tried! I couldn't… _I couldn't…_" _I couldn't even be his if I wanted to be…_

Sabrina pushed her off. "_You could at least have been there with him. Stood by him. He needed you, Angie._"

"**He needed all of us!"** Maylene roared as she **slammed** her fist into the wall again. "We kept fighting over him stupidly! Telling him that_ we_ needed him! But we never gave any attention to what _**he**_ needed!"

The fighter pressed her head against the wall. "Sabrina's right. **We abandoned him.** _He shouldn't have done it alone._"

"Sato didn't do it alone."

The brown-haired Bianca approached. She was the first to use that name in this entire discussion… and it stunned all those who recognized it.

"Ash needed all of us there. But we were all too concerned with ourselves to be his teammates." she continued. Her tone seemed strange… _distant_. "Now we're still fighting… when there's still so much to do…"

"_More?_" Gary raised his brow. "…we just destroyed the machine. Now you're saying there's more?"

"Your team's done, Farron. You're part of our group now."

"_How do you know that name?"_ his eyes narrowed.

"I know a lot more than you think." Bianca folded her arms. She turned towards Liza.

The Valley Guardian had stayed neutral and out of the way. Emotional conflicts were not her specialty. But with the Alto Mare native regarding her, she was suddenly involved.

…**sigh.** "Yes?"

"If you can, I'd like it if you could drop off Alpha and Beta teams to their respective homes, except for Gary."

"**What?** We JUST GOT HERE! **Who put you in charge?**" Iris growled as she retrieved her poké balls from the ground. "_**What if we want to help?**_"

"Help with what?" Bianca shrugged casually.

"…_I… _whatever it is that you're planning to do with Gary!"

"Team Rocket is finished. The device is destroyed. Gary's job to protect Ash is over. What more do you need to do here?"

"**Why do we have to go and your teams get to stay?**"

"Because you have nothing to do with what happens next."

"**Who says?**"

"You don't even know what I'm talking about."

"**JUST TELL US!**" Iris **stomped **her foot furiously.

Throughout this entire argument, Sabrina was trying to pry into Bianca's heart and mind. Both were _locked_ perfectly. She assumed that the young woman had been preparing for this moment longer than any of them were even aware of it. _…or perhaps she's being protected by something…_

…

Bianca sighed. "Something occurred here that's beyond any of your team's understanding or knowledge. This was not meant to be an insult, but a fact. Only Gary knows, and he has hidden it from all of you."

The Researcher's partners turned towards him, each questioning him with their glances.

"_I… didn't know it was real. I thought they were just strange dreams."_ he confessed.

"You didn't know what was real?" Cilan asked, his eyes showing suspicion.

"You cannot ask any further questions." Bianca stated. "If you do, it will change the course of things."

Sabrina's eyes widened. _**Change the course… She's seen the marble?**_

"All this secretive talk is problematic." Lucy added her opinion. "But I will trust Gary's decision."

Gary frowned. _"I…"_

…

Despite all the difficult decisions he had made for his team with a calm and cool mind, this choice was far too complicated and personal for him to choose simply. _But now what was on the line?_

With the device destroyed and Team Rocket in ruins, what weighed on his verdict? It bothered him that he had more trouble choosing for himself than choosing for others… and though his team would be affected by his choice, the fact was that Bianca was _**right**_. It didn't involve any of his team.

…_but why would it involve Ash's team?_

"I agree with the girl. I suggest you all go home." he concluded.

"**But Gary!"**

"Iris, if I need you or anyone else's help, I'll call. You know I will."

The purple-haired trainer huffed and stomped towards Liza. "**Fine.** But you better call! _You drag us all the way out here, get us excited for a grand adventure, and just cut us loose once we're done!_ Whatever, I don't care! Do what you want! **But you BETTER CALL!**"

"I'll call you especially, Iris." Gary winked.

Her cheeks glowed red. She turned and faced the Valley Guardian. "Alright, dragon-lady, tell me which one's my charizard."

Cilan bowed politely towards Gary and ran to Iris' side – doing his best not to make any eye contact with the Psychic.

Brock stared miserably in Ash's direction…

…

"_Misty… May… Dawn… Tracey._ Take care."

They nodded in response.

"Tell me what happened after you're done with everything." The Pokémon Breeder walked to the charizards, his head hung low. Lucy followed, arms latched onto his in concern.

Duplica, Greta, Khoury, and Lyra silently trailed after.

Dawn caught Lyra's _'call me' _gesture, though she wasn't sure if she ever would.

…_Ash is…gone?_

The moment and everything that happened within it just hit her completely. She looked towards his body…

Ash looked like he was sleeping. He felt like he was just sleeping.

And at any moment, _he'd wake up… and surprise~!_ Like nothing happened at all.

_He'd just wake up… just wake up… just wake up, please…_

Dawn felt like breaking down. She wanted to deny everything that was occurring around her, to forever trap herself in a lie… because anything had to be better than this. _Better than this._

_Wake up, Ash… I was supposed to tell you everything… tell you everything I felt for you. How I enjoyed all our moments together… and we'd share every memory and compare what we thought about each other… and just keep going on our adventures together. Make more memories. Have more thoughts about each other… not this. Not this. Anything but this!_

She found herself kneeling next to him, shaking his life-like body. "_Wake up… Wake up please…_"

May turned away from the sight, burying her tears into her hands.

Casey wanted to pull her off… but she found herself staring at someone who didn't belong there.

The blond-haired Bianca.

"I… I don't want to go." she said firmly.

"Bianca…" Gary gave her a stern stare.

"**NO!** I'm not going!"

Cilan moved towards the trembling woman, holding his hand out. _"Bianca, please…"_

She slapped his hand away and shook her head frantically. "**NO! I WON'T! **This is the_** worst**_ adventure **EVER!** **Adventures are supposed to have a happy ending!** This isn't happy! **This isn't happy at all!**"

"_Welcome to reality."_ Todd sighed.

"**You!"** The blond-haired Bianca pointed frustratingly towards the one who shared her name. "You _**know **_there's a happy ending to this! And – And you're keeping it from us! Just because we're not part of the main group!"

"False." the other Bianca stated. "Brock's part of this _'main group'_ you're talking about. And several in our team, including myself, aren't even a part of this_ 'main group'_. I'm restricting this team's size. We were far too large before, and _look where it got us…_"

The Alto Mare native turned away, hiding her irritation. "Sato had spent too much time trying to please everyone, he never had time to develop his own skills or prepare himself. And when a new group got involved, _it only got him more stressed…_"

"You keep mentioning a Sato." Brock frowned. "Who's Sato?"

"Sato's original group only consisted of **six** members." Bianca ignored him completely. "We don't need all these other members. It just confuses us and stresses us. In fact, I'd toss out a lot of our own team if we didn't need their help…"

"_**Go."**_ Sabrina was glaring at Liza and the ones picked to leave. _**"Now." **_Her darkened psychic aura adding to the _**authority**_ in her voice.

The groups dropped their borrowed poké balls to one corner and headed towards the charizards.

Cilan attempted to pull the blond-haired Bianca. He was shoved away.

With a distressed sigh, Cilan turned and followed the others.

…

"_**Bianca. Go."**_

"No."

"_**GO."**_ A _psychic lash_ struck towards the rebellious girl.

The attack _shattered _in mid-air.

Sabrina's eyes widened. _**What was…**_

A strange feeling came from inside her heart.

_The bond…_

…

The Psychic closed her eyes and smiled. _Ash…_

"Very well, she can come with us." Sabrina looked away.

"_Extra baggage…"_ the Alto Mare Bianca grumbled.

The other Bianca's green eyes sparkled. **"REALLY?"**

"_**No hugs."**_ The Psychic immediately stated before the girl could move an inch. _**"Ever."**_

She frowned in response. _"Everyone needs a hug from time to time…"_ she mumbled.

Sabrina waited until the cast out members were finally out of sight.

…

Turning, she faced the Alto Mare native. _**"So tell us, Bianca. Tell us exactly what you know."**_

The woman crossed her arms. "One thing I'd like to get out of the way first… There are far too many Biancas here. Call me by my original name… Leanne."

* * *

><p>"<em>So…<em> Let me get this straight…" May sat against a crate, scratching her head. "You're saying… this all happened before but not exactly? Like a past life."

"Past universe." Misty corrected. She sat next to the Coordinator, just as confused and as intrigued.

"_Past universe._ And… Ash's name was Sato." May began to point to each of the ones that remained standing. "Your name is Leanne. Your name was Farron. Angie there was Ramie. And Casey was Quinn?"

"_And Misty's name was Maya."_ Dawn added quietly.

"…and this universe, the one we're in right now, right at this moment, is the way it is because of a wish that Ash made when he was Sato?"

"I don't know if you'd call getting a god to do something for you, a _'wish'_…" Ritchie commented.

"**Whoah whoah whoah whoah!**" Maylene called out. "I just realized something!"

The fighter stood and pointed at Angie. "You and I are like sisters!"

Angie flinched. "_Wh-What?_"

"You were a Fighter! I'm a fighter! Casey was a Psychic! Sabrina's one in this universe!" Maylene was getting excited. "And Misty was an Empathic! And that would mean Anabel's her reincarnation in this universe!"

"Or – Or I am!" May added shyly.

"_So we're replacements of the real thing?"_ Anabel sighed.

Leanne stepped forward. "Maylene's observation is actually a very important one."

Sabrina's attention focused entirely on the former-Researcher's next words.

"Sato didn't give Arceus a single command. He gave two."

…

Now she had everyone's attention.

Latias hovered towards them. Her eyes began to glow a bright light blue.

The Gym around them began to fade.

"Wh-What's going on?" May looked around in a panic.

"Sight Sharing." Misty answered. "She can share what she saw… _back at Alto Mare_."

Replacing their surroundings of cement, marble, and dirt, a large room of metal took its place.

Flares of black energy swallowed up pieces of machinery and patches of flooring. Wherever the darkness touched, nothing remained. A large portion of the darkness swirled inside a large machine – contained and controlled.

Leaning over an unknown figure, a man with long brown hair balanced on one leg, his other leg striking the figure against its head. _**Farron.**_

Her fist dented into the metal wall, a red-haired woman was crying out in rage. _**Ramie.**_

Refusing to acknowledge the scene that played out, a golden-haired female covered her sorrows. _**Leanne.**_

Staring down from a ladder with a deadly glare, a red-eyed woman sneered at an event no one could foresee but herself. _**Quinn.**_

Lying motionless on the floor… _**Maya.**_

And in the center, facing a tall pokémon of majestic design who could only be Arceus, stood a man with raven black hair. _**Sato.**_

The entire world was frozen in time.

Not a single of the characters moved or spoke. Sounds that were occurring could only echo faintly in the background. And light reflecting off the objects would shift from time to time, adjusting to the stand-still memory.

"_This…"_ the present Leanne's voice rang out. _"…is the moment when Sato gave his commands to Arceus."_

Time crawled forward slowly…

Sato's lips moved silently.

And in an instant, the scene vanished entirely.

…

Leanne stood in front of them, her eyes closed, and a frown fitting her face. "I've gone through that vision more than a hundred times… constantly trying to read his lips."

She opened her eyes and raised a finger. "His first command is obvious. He wanted to restart the world. Instead, the whole universe restarted… my theory is that all things in a single universe are connected somehow, if one were to change, all things would."

Maylene interrupted, "Wait. How do you know the universe changed and not just this world?"

"Because not even Arceus remembers what happened. Arceus is not of this world, he is of this universe."

"And how would you know Arceus doesn't remember?"

Leanne reached into her pocket and pulled out an object… a marble of glowing colors.

Sabrina's eyes narrowed._** "You have one!"**_

"This… is called an Arceus Drop." The Alto Mare native held it up for all to see. "Pieces of Arceus' memory before the incident. It was left behind on this world… one found its way to Sato."

The Psychic pulled out the black marble from her pocket and revealed it.

"And one found its way to me." Leanne returned the glowing item back into her pocket. "Sato's marble only showed him that specific moment in the past universe, as well as giving him the ability to remember more of his past as long he shared a familiar memory with someone… someone _directly affiliated_ with that universe." Her eyes darted towards Misty.

"And what does your marble do?" Misty shot back the look. _Did she see us in the forest?_

"Mine allows me to see connections. And I've been seeing them throughout this entire journey." She walked towards a crate and sat on it. "_For instance…_

"You're not the real Maya, Misty."

…

"What do you mean?"

Leanne raised two fingers. "Sato's second command. I've watched his lips several times… _'Grant their wishes.'_ By _'their'_, he meant us."

"Us?"

"Don't look so distraught. I'm not the real Leanne either. Just like how Angie's not the real Ramie, Gary's not the real Farron, and Casey's not the real Quinn."

Maylene leaned back and sighed. "So by that logic, Ash isn't the real Sato either."

"Incorrect."

The fighter blinked. "Wh-What?"

"Ash is the real Sato. There is only one Sato. There is, however, three of everyone else."

"**Three?"** the group shifted uncomfortably.

"You can thank me for that." Leanne smirked.

"What the heck does that mean?" Angie growled.

The young woman from Alto Mare shrugged. "Exactly what you heard. I was the one who wanted the world to have more humans. At least triple the population."

She looked up to the ceiling, exhaling an unknown stress. "_Funny thing is,_ you can't just **add **new souls to this world. All souls were created for this universe before it was even started. No more and no less can exist within and without it. So…_ I guess we just split up_."

"_Why would you even wish for that?"_ Dawn spoke up with a hurt voice. _"And why isn't Ash affected?"_

"I don't know why he wasn't… perhaps it was because Arceus would only allow one?" She shrugged. "As for tripling the population?

"…believe it or not, the previous world had a much smaller number of us humans. For every human, there were at least a hundred pokémon. By tripling the population; each and every pokémon could find a home…" Leanne turned and patted Latias on her head. _"What I didn't expect was that even human souls could be reborn as pokémon."_

The light around Latias shifted. As the glow dissipated, she revealed herself in the form of the past Leanne, her golden hair bobbing playfully with her movements. Latias bowed shyly and sat next to her present-self.

"Then…" Solana was afraid to ask. "…does that mean each of us is a piece of someone else in this group?"

"No. You and Ritchie are fine."

The two gave a big **sigh** of relief.

"And the rest of us?" Domino stood, speaking out for the first time within the group. "What does that mean for the rest of us?"

"Exactly what you think it means, _Quinn_."

Her eyes widened in surprise. She looked towards Sabrina and Casey.

The three stared at each other uncomfortably.

"Th-then what about the other wishes?" The green-eyed Bianca raised her hand nervously. "You got your wish granted, wh-what about our wishes?"

Leanne's brow twitched at her voice. "We **are** our wishes."

* * *

><p>Angie led the way through the forest.<p>

The group of sixteen followed loosely behind her.

Within the sixteen, a seventeenth was carried.

Ash 'slept' soundly on Sabrina's back. And though the Psychic refused everyone else from being anywhere near him, she allowed Casey to follow closely beside.

A feeling fear filled everyone's hearts and minds.

Not a single one of them knew what they faced next… not even Leanne.

_Leanne…_ Gary thought to himself. _She hasn't even told us what's going on yet… As far as I'm concerned, we already completed everything we ever needed to. What else is there to do?_

An opening appeared.

Gary's eyes widened. "What is this place…?"

Bianca stepped forward, completely entranced. _"It's beautiful…"_

Ash's Sanctuary. A haven found within the forests near Pallet Town.

Twilight had struck, and the last remaining spots of sunlight gave the treetops a magical glow of orange and violet. The view was made even more magnificent as traces of bright stars broke through the sun-faded sky… blanketing the view above with sparkling accents.

Sabrina walked ahead of the rest and laid Ash's body against one of the trees.

Casey sat beside him dutifully.

Domino found herself leaning against a tree next to her. She wanted to strike a conversation with the young woman who supposedly used to share the same body as her… _but how in the world would you even begin that? 'Hey, where have you been all my life?' _She sighed and looked away.

Ritchie and Solana stood quietly in one corner. The two couldn't start a discussion with the other, knowing full well that it wasn't the time or place to speak of _that_ topic.

Maylene and Angie sat near the white stump that decorated the center. They solemnly stared at Ash's body, reminiscing when it was _just the three of them_ on this adventure.

Misty, May, and Dawn settled themselves within the flowers, each of them preferring each other's company over the members that reminded them of the mission they had strived for. Right now, they were just friends… for May, friends that would comfort and understand the loss she was experiencing. For Misty, friends that would soon go back to their busy schedules and keep in contact even after all that had happened. And for Dawn, friends that she felt like an equal to…_ or at least, wanted to be an equal to._

Tracey found his own spot to sit in, where he would continue his sketches. Todd looked over his shoulder, his eyes locked on the art piece being formed. It was a scene that his cameras couldn't capture no matter how many shots he took… _when the Psychic fought the darkness._

Anabel kept her distance… refusing to step into the sanctuary. She wanted to be alone. She didn't want to feel any of their emotions. _Not when I can't feel Ash's anymore…_ At the moment, she wondered why she had even come with the group_. Though if I hadn't… where would I even go? I don't know if I have the heart to be a Frontier Brain anymore…_

Lastly, arrived Leanne, the one who had asked to return to Ash's Sanctuary.

Everyone's attention turned to her as she stepped forward. Latias flew over her, holding the same determined face as her human counterpart.

"Now that we're here, wherever _'here'_ is, would you mind telling us what this mission you have in mind for us is?" Gary crossed his arms and leaned against a tree.

"Latias, show them." She nodded towards the tire swing.

Angie reached out. "**Wait!** That tire swing is –!"

"Haunted. I know."

Latias flew towards the hanging tire and sat comfortably against it.

…

A bright light absorbed it as its visual form began to change.

"Tell me…" Leanne regarded the sitting and standing groups. "…if humans who cannot pass on often become a ghost pokémon over time, then why hasn't a spirit that's been here for years ever turned into one?"

The bright light dispersed, exposing a young man…

Leanne frowned. _"Because the soul that resides here is one who wasn't allowed to get a second chance."_

His long lime green hair revealed his identity…

Gary, Misty, Angie, and Casey instinctively got into battle stances.

"**N!"**


	37. Chapter 37 Nothing

"_It's nice to see the gang together again…"_ N's voice was soft and faded, not seeming to come from his lips, but from the forest itself.

"Don't play friendly, N. We still won't forgive you for what you've done…" Gary growled.

"_Done?"_ He tilted his head to the left. _"She's right there. I've done nothing."_

The three looked in the direction of his tilt and blinked. Misty blinked back at them.

Their stances lowered.

For a moment, they had forgotten who they were… or rather, remembered who they used to be.

Casey walked forward, refusing to let go of her almost-forgotten personality. "Why are you here, N?"

"_Quinn! It's been ages…"_ The ghostly mirage smiled. _"I see you've finally decided whose team you wanted to be on."_ He turned towards Domino. _"Or perhaps not? Hm… you always were indecisive."_

"I'll ask again before I tear your soul apart… Why are you here, N?"

He blinked. _"Here? I've always been here. This is my home."_

"This is Ash's Sanctuary. You have no right to be here."

"_I don't? If I remember correctly, I built this place for him. Specifically for 'Ash'."_ He began to swing back and forth on the tire. _"A strange name… I think I preferred 'Sato'."_

"And why would you help Ash?" _'Quinn'_ frowned.

"_To help him. Childhood can be quite harsh for an innocent boy."_ N giggled to himself. _"Apparently adulthood can be quite worse. So I gave him the Arceus Drop… just to give him an edge."_

"_**The Arceus Drop got him killed!"**_ Sabrina approached the spirit. _**"If he hadn't followed it, he wouldn't have died!"**_

"_Ah… a far more familiar Quinn."_ N looked towards the_ 'unconscious' _young man. _"It was quite unfortunate that the darkness used the Drop in that manner. But I had no control over that."_

"The darkness used the Drop? _**What do you mean?**_" The Psychic glared.

"_All that are connected to the memory can use the Arceus Drop to their advantage. For 'Ash', he could find help, foresee the future, and look into the past. For the darkness, it can corrupt the visions given. 'Ash' had mistaken who to trust on his quest… and the darkness won because of it."_

"_**What do you mean 'mistaken who to trust', ghost?"**_ Sabrina was growing frustrated. She couldn't read his mind… _he had no mind. _He was an entity. _His entire self was his thought._

"_An interesting thing to consider, Quinn…"_ He stopped swinging and looked her in the eye. _"You all believed that you needed an Empathic, a Psychic, and an Aura Guardian to stop the darkness. When all it would take was a single person who knew how to properly shut down the machine."_

Angie slammed her palms to her face. **"YOU HAVE GOTTA' BE KIDDING ME!"**

N _laughed_. _"I am not kidding at all, Ramie. Your past selves made the same mistake in believing that the machine had to be destroyed. That's exactly what the darkness wanted. It planned for it that time, and it planned for it this time."_

"So Ash… _didn't need any of us_?" May's eyes watered as she buried her face into her knees.

He looked towards her. _"Not need any of you? No… Sato always needs someone. Sato could never do anything by himself. But he certainly didn't have to get all of you. All it did was distract him from improving."_

"We're all just _distractions_…" Misty sat back down. "The darkness just wanted to _distract him_…"

"_If he had just gone straight for the Team Rocket Headquarters, this all would've been finished in a matter of two days."_

Maylene's fist clenched.

"Wait… how would he know where the base is?" Solana asked. "Even we didn't know until the end!"

"_Because after the invasion on Ash's home… he could've simply followed them." _N kicked at the ground, swinging in the tire again.

"_I should've listened to him…"_ the fighter growled.

"_Don't blame yourself. Maya is quite at fault here too."_

"**What?"** Misty glared. "I was captured that night! How is it my fault?"

"_Security was quite lax on that night. With a little help from Duplica, he would have successfully saved all of you and stopped and destroyed Team Rocket's Machine safely… but of course, you had to scare Duplica off, didn't you, Maya?"_

"_No…"_ She looked away, trembling. "_I didn't know._ How was I supposed to know something like that?"

"_The darkness works in mysterious ways…"_ N laughed quietly. _"…when it can't cripple Sato directly, it can use others' weaknesses to cripple him. Duplica would have never gotten in the way of your relationship with him, Maya. But of course, you're always paranoid of what you mean to him, aren't you?"_

"Why are you doing this, N?" _'Farron'_ faced him. "Why did you help Ash in the first place? Why are you telling us all this now?"

"_I helped Sato for my own reasons. And I'm telling you this for the very same."_

"He's hoping this would atone for his sins." Leanne spoke.

N frowned. _"Leanne. Would you like me to ruin your secrets, too?"_

"I have none."

"_Really?"_ He raised his brow. _"If that's so, then why haven't you told everyone who they were? Why didn't you tell everyone all this before the plan to attack the Team Rocket Base? And why in the world would you try to scare Bianca off when you need her in order to become whole?"_

Bianca flinched. "Wh-Who, m-me?"

"_You're ashamed of that wish of yours, aren't you?" _N chuckled loudly. _"Yet here she is… you can't escape yourself, Leanne."_

Leanne stared angrily at the spirit. "I have my reasons. You keep yourself **quiet** or I'll remove Latias from your use."

"_You want me quiet… yet you gave me Latias' body so I could talk. Hypocritical as always, Leanne. Hypocritical as always."_

"**JUST TELL THEM ALREADY!"**

…

"_Very well."_ He tilted his head towards Ash's body. _"That young man can regain his soul, emotions, and psyche."_

"_**WHAT?"**_ Everyone moved from their spot. Even Anabel crawled into the sanctuary after hearing the announcement.

N seemed pleased with their reaction. _"Though I believe what you all should be concerned with is the fact that Leanne there knew this beforehand… yet she wanted me to say it."_

Their glares met the Alto Mare native.

She showed no care for their stares.

"Why, Leanne?" Misty walked towards her.

Maylene approached as well. "The better question is _'how'_! **How** did you know about this?"

"_I warned her about what would happen if Sato continued his plans…" _N got their attention again. _"This isn't the first time she's given me Latias' body, you know."_

"**YOU!"** Angie's fist landed across Leanne's face. **"WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN US?"**

Leanne fell to the grass. She looked away, refusing to give the tomboy eye contact. "Because N told me that the darkness would get what it wanted if I did warn him…"

They turned back to the spirit.

He simply shrugged. _"Leanne just didn't want to trust the consequences that would come from Sato making the same decision… and she was even more afraid if he DIDN'T make the same decision."_

"**Either way!"** Leanne ripped apart the grass below her, as she began crying. "Either way he would've revolved it around her! It was always about Maya! It always is! _**What good would giving her to the darkness be if he'd never stop thinking about her?**_"

Her pain was felt most by Anabel. Tears began flowing down her eyes as well.

"…so how do we do it?" Casey moved towards N. "How do we get him back?"

He smirked. _"Are you sure? …you might not get Ash back."_

"But you just said –"

"_I said 'that young man'. I could be referring to Ash or Sato. Even if he still carries his memories from this life, this ritual could easily make him more Sato than Ash."_

"I don't care…" Angie stepped forward. "Just tell us."

…

…

N shrugged. _"Very well. But realize that you all could change in the process."_

Maylene cracked her neck in irritation. "How many warnings and side-effects does this thing have? Spit it out! How do we get back Ash?"

"_The darkness is an entity of nothingness – and what you forget becomes nothing." _The spirit was ready to give them their answer._ "By remembering, you can bring back anything from the nothingness. To gain something back from the darkness… you need to know what it is in its entirety."_

N regarded each of them with a nod._ "As you are now, none of you knew 'Ash' for who he really was. As 'Maya', 'Ramie', 'Farron', 'Leanne', and 'Quinn' – you all knew him perfectly as 'Sato'… If you want to bring 'Ash' back, you need to remember 'Sato'. _

"…_If you want to remember 'Sato', all of you need to remember who you once were."_

* * *

><p>Latias stumbled off the tire swing and fell face-flat in Leanne's old form.<p>

The new Leanne helped her to her feet. "_Careful…_ Are you okay, Latias?"

She grinned and nodded.

"Now that we know what we're trying to do…" Gary sat down on the white stump and adjusted his clothes. "Care to tell us what the plan is?"

"And if you don't mind me asking…" Ritchie scratched the back of his head. "What exactly is _our_ job?"

"I'd like to know that, too." Tracey lifted his pencil.

Angie began chewing on a piece of bark. "What I'd like to know is why in the world you dragged us all the way out here to talk to a ghost when apparently you could've **told us yourself**?"

"In reverse order…" Leanne sighed. "One, if you hadn't heard it from N himself you wouldn't have trusted me."

"_I still don't trust you."_ the tomboy grumbled.

"Two, I'm splitting teams accordingly. But specifically, Ritchie and Solana? You two are on guard duty."

"Guard duty?"

"I'll explain in answer three."

…

…

"Well? What's answer three?" Misty asked impatiently.

"I need all of you to sit down first."

While many sat immediately, a few remained standing.

"Quit treating us like children." Domino sneered. "Just tell us already."

Leanne stared at her with disinterest. "Do you want to hinder everyone else from finding out who they were?"

Maylene yanked her down immediately. "Go! Go! Tell us!"

"_You're just encouraging her…"_ the former Rocket Agent muttered.

The last standing sat down uncomfortably.

Leanne looked over the group; treating them similar to members in her fan club back home… she nodded. "Good. Now number three has a lot to do with who you were in the past. And coincidentally, you'll all be in groups of three."

She faced the blue-eyed trainer. "Ritchie, Solana… as neither of you were involved in that event, I'll ask you both to stand by Ash."

The two moved accordingly.

"You two will be in charge of guarding Ash in the Sinnoh region."

Casey was about to protest. And Maylene was about to ask a question.

"No interruptions until the end." the Alto Mare native waved her finger. "But to calm the two of you:** All **of us are moving to the Sinnoh region. And each group will be _far_ too busy to take care of Ash. That is why I chose Ritchie and Solana to guard him."

"Where are –"

"I said no interruptions, Solana. And please don't find me rude. I'm simply trying to make sure everyone can hear my instructions. And interruptions will only confuse those who actually want to listen."

_Only person who wants to listen to you is yourself._ The Pokémon Ranger grimaced. She didn't like the new Bianca-Leanne. Personally-speaking, she knew nothing of the old one, but this one was far too arrogant for her taste.

Plusle calmed her with a soft pat on her head.

"As I was saying, _and to answer your question_, you will be staying in the Battle Island Resort."

…

Curiosity filled many of them, but none dared disrupt. Not out of respect or fear, but to avoid the trouble of dealing with the woman's stern manners.

Leanne smiled at the silence. "It's an island in the northeast. They have a lovely resort there that you two will absolutely love."

"_So they're on vacation?"_ Casey groaned.

Leanne glared. Though the baseball fan didn't seem to care.

"It's also a secure and memorable area in the Sinnoh region." she continued. "It's an island filled with battling trainers. If anyone wanted to cause trouble there, there would be plenty of witnesses and allies willing to help. And it's an easy to spot and find island resort. If any of you know of a better place, feel free to suggest."

Maylene raised her hand.

"No. Not your gym." Leanne frowned. "If there are any remnants of Team Rocket, you can bet that our homes are still under their surveillance."

The fighter lowered her hand.

"Can we just get to the part where you** tell us who we are**?" Angie pulled off another piece of tree bark and shoved it into her mouth.

"You already know who you are, Ramie."

"I know it's me and probably Maylene." she responded in irritation. "I want to know **who else**."

"_Very well…"_

With a depressed sigh, Leanne stood beside Latias. _"…Bianca, stand next to me."_

"_M-_Me?_"_

"Yes. _You._ Stand next to me now."

The blond-haired woman skipped over quickly. "Right here?"

"_Yes…_ there." She turned towards the group. "As the ones who were part of the original Leanne, the three of us are going to Eterna City. We'll be visiting the Eterna Museum."

Maylene raised her hand again. "Why specifically that museum?"

_These people have no idea what 'do not interrupt' means…_ Her brows twitched. "Because it's in the Sinnoh region. Any museum would do, as the original Leanne loved researching pokémon, especially their history. However, as our main destinations are in the Sinnoh region, I simply chose this one."

Bianca excitedly searched through her bag.

Leanne found it impossible to ignore her movements. _"…what are you doing?"_

Pulling out a pair of red-framed glasses, Bianca put them on eagerly. She grinned at Leanne.

Casey snorted at her appearance. _"Dork."_

"_And what in the world is that supposed to be?"_ The Alto Mare native shook her head.

"**Glasses!"** the blond girl giggled. "Dad said I always needed them. But I didn't like how they looked. So I never wore them! But now that I know I used to be a Scientist, **it all makes sense now**!"

"…_Researcher."_ Leanne corrected in despair.

"Right. Researcher. Scientists research things too, you know?"

She waved away the comment. "Gary, Tracey, Todd. You all used to be the Pokémon Master Farron. Go stand on that side."

"**ARE YOU SERIOUS?"** Tracey's jaw dropped.

Todd pulled him to their side of the area. "I find it weird that a Pokémon Master would ever wish to become someone who doesn't have a single pokémon. Something might be wrong with this grouping…"

"I'd agree. I find it strange that I'm anything like either of you two." Gary shrugged.

Leanne continued her directing, "You three are going to the eastern part of Sinnoh. You're trying to find a place called Sendoff Spring."

"And what will we be doing there?" the current Pokémon Researcher questioned.

"Honestly? I'm not entirely sure. N just told me that Farron has a connection to that spring."

Sabrina, Domino, and Casey moved to their own section without need of orders.

Leanne nodded towards them. "You all know you're Quinn. Head to the north section of Sinnoh. You are to find an area called Lake Acuity."

"Similar objective description as Farron's?" Domino asked professionally.

"Same."

The three nodded.

Maylene and Angie followed suit, sitting in one corner of the sanctuary.

…

…

…

"Well? **Tell us who's the third one!**" Angie shouted angrily.

Leanne was visibly upset. She had been dreading this announcement since she first found out… for several reasons. _Several, several reasons._

"…May. You're with team _Ramie_."

"…_what?"_ May's eyes widened.

"_**WHAT?"**_ Angie and Maylene shared the same bewilderment.

Dawn and Anabel blinked at each other and looked at Misty.

Misty didn't seem to believe it either.

"_A-Are you sure?"_ May's voice was shaking.

"…yes. I'm sure."

"**BUT SHE'S MAY!"** The two tomboys expressed their shock.

"**LOOK."** Leanne glared at them. "I **know **what I'm talking about. **May **_**is**_** Ramie**. Always has been. Always will be."

"_But… Maya… May…"_ the Empathic Coordinator stared at her in desperation. _"And… Empathy…"_

"Coincidence…" Leanne frowned. "You're Ramie, May. _I'm sorry._"

"**H-Hey!** What's with the _'sorry'_? Nothing's wrong with being Ramie!" The fighter growled at the assertive woman. She smiled in May's direction. "Come on, May. Being Ramie rocks."

"_N-No… this can't be right…"_ the Coordinator was slowly backing away. _"I was supposed to be Maya…"_

Leanne knew this would happen. "May. Don't."

May turned... running and stumbling into the woods.

…

…

**Clearing** her throat, Leanne spoke to the remaining members. "Team Ramie, you're heading east with Farron's group, but you'll be splitting up soon afterwards… as your destination is Lake Valor."

"_What about…"_

"Leave her alone for now." She turned towards Misty. "And team Maya… you'll be heading for west Sinnoh. You'll be looking for Lake Verity."

Anabel and Misty nodded.

Dawn tilted her head in confusion. "You're… _**one-hundred percent**_ sure that May's not a part of _**this**_ team? And you're sure that _**I'm**_ not part of a different team?"

Leanne looked away, refusing to continue the topic. "After we're done finding and completing our objectives within each area, we'll meet again in the Battle Island Resort. We don't have a specific time to leave, or a specific time to arrive. From now on, treat your fellow teammates as your ONLY team."

She nodded at no one in particular. "With that said… You can head off _whenever _you want, but I suggest we all get plenty of rest for the night."

…

…

"That is all."

Leanne walked away and dragged her backpack. Latias followed dutifully.

Bianca ran back to grab her things before chasing after.

…

Casey spat out her bubblegum. "No offense, but our new team leader sucks."

"Amen to that." Anabel shook her head and sighed.

"_**Then don't see her as our leader…"**_ Sabrina mentioned as she moved towards the forest. _**"As she said herself: we're our only teams now. Don't bother with that woman. Look after your own."**_


	38. Chapter 38 Reflections

"Hey Leanne?"

…

"Leanne?"

…

Bianca crawled towards the woman wrapped in an orange blanket.

"…_hey Leanne?"_

Leanne quickly rolled over and glared at the green-eyed blonde. "What do you want?"

The young woman tilted her head. "Did I wake you?"

**Sigh.** "_…__**no**__, I've been awake…_ what do you want?"

Adjusting to a sit, Bianca straightened her back and smiled. "What was Leanne like?"

"…what do you mean by that?" Leanne knew what she meant, but she also knew it would be a long story. It was a question she honestly wasn't in the mood to answer. If she had it her way, she'd roll back and try to sleep again. But she knew Bianca wouldn't let her… the least she could do was to shorten the answer by specifying the question.

"_Well… I mean…_ how were we before? What did we look like?"

"You've seen Latias. The blond-haired girl she turns into? That's what we looked like."

Bianca turned her head, catching a glance of the sleeping Eon Pokémon. "_The one with the really shiny hair?_ **She's so pretty!** And she wore glasses like mine!" She grinned ecstatically.

Leanne rolled her eyes. "Nothing like your glasses. Yours are like a have-to-wear glasses. Old Leanne's was far more fashionable."

"They're both red."

"And we both have the same name, what of it?"

"It means we're like sisters!" She spread her arms and fell leaned downward.

Quickly rolling away, Leanne dodged the hug by mere inches. "No. We're not."

"_Thbuth wehf kfaimph fomf pa thaimph pfahson!"_

"…what?"

Bianca pulled her face away from the grass and giggled. "I said '_but we came from the same person_'! I just thought it sounded funny saying it into the ground."

Leanne sighed again. "Same person. _Different wishes_."

…

Bianca seemed to be in thought.

"Hey Leanne? Why do you think Leanne wished to be like me?"

"I don't know. Go to sleep."

"…do you know why she wished to be like you?"

"Yes. Now go to sleep."

"…do you know why she wished to be like Latias?"

"Yes, yes, yes. I know."

"**AHA!"** Bianca pointed at her face and grinned proudly. **"I caught you!"**

Leanne raised her brow mockingly. "Caught me how?"

"You **DO** know why she wished for me! But _you_~ _won't_~ _say_~!"

"And how did you come to that conclusion?"

Bianca raised one finger. "Because you know why she wished for you and for Latias."

"Maybe it could be for the fact that I know Latias? And the fact we're connected on a deep level? Considered that?"

She raised a second finger. "Because you keep telling me to go to sleep even though you're not going to sleep."

"Perhaps it's because I find you a little annoying and I want you to stop bothering me?"

She raised her third finger, widening her grin. "Because N said you tried to ditch me even though you needed me! AND he said you kept things secret!"

"Inconclusive data."

"Except for the fact that I'm as much Leanne as you are!" Bianca leaned in and gave a mischievous smile. "And I **KNOW** you're lying."

"Still inconclusive. Go to sleep."

"How about the fact that N said you were ashamed of your wish? _What wish could he be talking about? Who was the only one you needed that you tried to ditch back there?_ _**HMMMM?**_"

Bianca's face gave a mocking serious look… one that mimicked her usual stern face.

…

"_Look,_ why do you want to know?" Leanne rolled and faced the opposite way.

"Okay, okay…_ I won't ask_."

…

…

Leanne hated this. She was going to fall right for her trap. Bianca knew it, she knew it. This would be her only chance to confront the alternate life her past self desired greatly. And though she herself didn't yearn for that life, she felt a dire curiosity for it.

"**FINE!"** She rolled back and faced the blonde. "The old Leanne liked Sato. I still like Sato. Even Latias still likes Sato. Sato had a thing for… I want to say _'dumb girls'_, but he'd say _'innocent'_. Preferred them. Would do absolutely anything for them. Treated them like some kind of special jewel." She **exhaled** with an annoyed look.

Leanne looked away. Her voice muffled as she buried her face into her blanket. _"I wasn't. I was too smart, too independent, too good for him. I just… I just wanted to know what it would be like if he didn't just judge me for my thoughts all the darn time. I mean, I was pretty, I was funny sometimes, and I liked things he liked. But all he saw me for was my brains…_

"…_and my brain just really couldn't compare to what the other girls had…"_

…

…

"Are you saying I'm dumb?" Bianca pouted. "Because I'm not, you know. I'm just a little slow. And slowkings are one of the wisest creatures around."

"_I – I'm not saying you're dumb. I'm just saying you're…_ _**Wait.**_" Leanne faced her with narrowed eyes. "How do** you** know about slowkings? You're from the Unova region."

"Know about what now?"

"Slowkings. You just said _'slowkings are one of the wisest creatures around'_…"

"I did?" She tilted her lip and poked her head, thinking hard. "_Er…_ I guess I **did**. Maybe being around each other is making us more 'Leanne'-y!" She grinned.

Leanne rolled away again. Pulling out her hand from the blanket, she looked at the back of her fingers in curiosity. _"You might be right…"_

_Leanne… Leanne…_ she ran the name through her head again and again… _Leanne…_

Since reuniting with Ash at Alto Mare and being exposed to the vision, _Leanne_ had begun to experience visions of her own. _Memories of her past life… her conversations… her actions… her every thought._ And with every recollection, she slowly began to become less and less like herself…

_I'm Leanne? … I was Bianca…_

The more she thought about Ash, the more she would remember Sato… and the more she would remember Sato, the more she became depressed. And the more sunken her emotions became, the more she became susceptible to the original Leanne's sentiments.

All of Leanne's thoughts _became her own_. Her old habits _became her new ones_. Her life had _become a part of her own history_.

_I am Leanne…_

As Bianca of Alto Mare, she was just a distant girl who Ash barely knew. The furthest she could ever be with Ash was as a onetime interest. She was just a fan of his… _Ash was a fan of the other girls._

As Bianca of Alto Mare, she couldn't compare.

But as Leanne of New Glass City, Pokémon Researcher extraordinaire, and the brain that Sato always counted on… she stood more of a chance.

She desperately wanted to become Leanne. And slowly, but surely, she was.

…_is it worth it? I can barely sketch now…_

Art. It was her passion. Her love. A dream for her past life. Her memories revealed how much the old Leanne admired the works of art of the old world, and how she herself dearly wished that she could create masterpieces of her own.

She had everything her old self wished for… at least, she was_ working_ her way towards it.

Yet she was losing it all now. For the sake of becoming her old self again.

Latias shifted in her sleep, her eyes twitching and her head bobbing from a nightmare.

…_she's not as happy as before._ Leanne thought to herself, feeling sorrow for what she had placed on her partner. _She's sharing all the same fears and insecurities the old Leanne had… why am I doing this to her? Why am I doing this to myself?_

"Was Sato a nice guy?"

Leanne's eyes widened. Bianca was still awake, and still wanted to talk. She would have been angry… if it weren't for that question.

"_Yes… he was a wonderful man."_ She smiled.

"What did we like about him most?"

"…_he loved pokémon. He understood them…"_ Rolling to her back, Leanne looked to the stars above. "They say pokémon were put here in the universe to keep us humans company and teach us lessons. That our own purpose in life was in finding love in all things… and pokémon would help us find out what love meant, as they sacrifice their lives and comforts just for us. We don't deserve it… _we really don't_."

She wiped a tear from her eye. "But Sato did. He was a friend to all of them. He fought with them, hurt them, and even ended some of their lives… but he never held hatred against them. He never blamed them. He never abused them or used them. He treated them like equals and gave as much love back…

"Sato knew they were just protecting and following their loved ones. He was doing the same… And even when they were the most bitter of enemies in the morning, he was still willing to treat them as family by night." Leanne felt her heart melt… reminiscing the moments when she'd watch him play and train with the pokémon. Trained or wild. "Sato was their friend… he didn't need them to teach him love… a lot of times, he taught them what love was. _And that just made him magnificent._"

Bianca rolled beside her, bringing her own sleeping bag. "_Wow…_ is Ash anything like that?"

"_Kind of…"_ Leanne giggled. "Though, I think we got him too distracted in girls this time around. He was too busy running around trying to cheer us depressed girls up that he never got the time to really spend time with the pokémon."

"_It really is hard to be happy when everyone else is so sad."_ the green-eyed woman frowned. _"No matter how big of a smile you give, if someone's sad – human or pokémon – and you can't cheer them up? Your smile just hurts…"_

…

**Sigh.** "I guess that's one thing I'll miss about Ash."

"Hm?"

Leanne rolled over. "Sato was so obsessed with pokémon that sometimes he'd ignore a person's feelings… _even if it was right in front of him. _Ash was different. I think it's because he lived his life as a Trainer. He got so used to pokémon that he finally noticed the people. _He was always trying to make everyone happy…_"

"If you think about it, that would make Ash like a pokémon, right?" Bianca rolled over with her. "Trying to show people what love is."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Leanne smiled.

"And we're just a bunch of Scientists that have to figure him out!" Bianca grinned.

**Sigh.** _"…Researchers."_

* * *

><p>Misty slowly fell asleep against the white tree trunk.<p>

For her, it had been an exhausting day. She had experienced a rollercoaster of emotions and a complete energy drain of her body…

Unlike her counterparts, she showed little to no emotion for their loss of Ash. While the other girls cried their tears out and screamed their pains… while the other girls locked themselves up and showed distrust and hatred of everyone around them… Misty stayed _'strong'_.

In reality, she didn't believe it when she first heard it. She didn't want to believe it.

After all her fights and struggles? After all the time and heart she had given to thinking of him as Sato and wondering what that meant to her? After considering her position and relationship in his life? He just disappears… _just leaves us?_

Though she revealed nothing, the event tore her in half.

For Misty, she was _angry… enraged… furious_ at the world and all the games it played on her. She hated it for constantly taking Ash away and bringing him back into her life. She wanted to move on, but she never wanted to take a single step away from him. It was maddening. …and though losing him solved it for her, it _wasn't the way she wanted it_.

For Maya, she was _confused… lost…_ and felt absolutely _abandoned_ by fate. She thought she was meant for Sato. She was supposed to be his bride. His only one. His love, his heart, his life. Before he could go, she had to go first. She'd sacrifice anything for him… because he had so much to offer the world… this world would never be the same without him. Instead… _she was left… alone… in a world she didn't want to exist in alone._

She hid the emotions. They were her own and no one else's. They were for Ash and no one else. They were for Sato and no one else.

If she ended up destroying her life after the mission was over, she wouldn't have been surprised. The idea reminded her of why she never got involved. By then, it was already too late, she was in too deep.

But now…

…_now with the chance of reviving Ash? Meeting Sato again?_

She was even _more unsure_.

Of course she wanted to see them again. Of course she wanted to be with him… _both of him._ She wanted to take the biggest gamble of her life and just marry the fool. She wanted to be with Ash, Sato, forever.

Yet this was also the perfect chance for _**everything**_ to go wrong. Whatever trial faced them, she had no idea what the outcome would be.

_If all three of us are Maya, then who gets Sato? Do I have to change completely into Maya just to get him back? What will happen to 'Misty'? What will happen to 'Ash'? Will I care after this? Will I be happier? What in the world would I tell my sisters after all of this? And… what about Leanne?_

Reacting to the thought, Misty's self _changed_.

_Leanne… _Maya's eyes softly watered._ I thought we were friends… why are you trying to steal Sato from me? You don't think I see it? You don't think I know what you're trying to do? Sato's mine! Stop trying to keep him all to yourself! You weren't supposed to like him! You were supposed to like Farron! Why Leanne… If you try anything, I… I won't forgive you…_

As a single tear fell from her eye, Misty's body had lost consciousness completely… falling into deep slumber.

…

Anabel _felt _her_ every_ emotion.

Though she wanted to _pity and sympathize_ with Maya, she was far too conflicted with other thoughts and feelings.

On one hand, she felt a _curiosity_ and _jealousy _for Misty. The young woman had carried all of the emotions of the woman named Maya, the one Ash loved when he was a man named Sato. And whether or not she appreciated it, Anabel believed Misty should count herself as the luckiest girl here. No one was closer to Ash… _no one._ Because she was Maya. _Not just Maya in her past… but was Maya right here and right now._ And Anabel still felt like a phantom in comparison.

On the other, she shared the same emotions as Dawn…

Like Dawn, she couldn't get to sleep. She couldn't even think about sleep.

They were _too excited_, _too relieved_, and_ far too happy_.

She hadn't ever talked much to Dawn, but she felt like now was the appropriate time to connect with the girl.

"_Hey Dawn?"_

"…yeah?"

"…_we're Maya."_

A _**covered squeal**_ was let out from the young girl. The blue-haired Coordinator kicked and rolled in her sleeping bag in _pure bliss_. She let out a few more _**squeals**_ before removing the pillow from her face.

"_I KNOW!"_ she whispered loudly.

Anabel couldn't help but grin and giggle in _jubilation_ with her. _"Truth be told, I thought I was going to end up losing to 'Maya' and just going to grow into an old bitter hag! But to find out I'm 'Maya'? AAAAAAAAHHHH!" _She buried her face into her blanket and just let herself explode in _elation_.

**Sniffle.** _"I'm! I'm actually crying about this! I'm so pathetic!"_ Dawn laughed quietly as she wiped away her tears. _"Ah! I can't believe it! I'm going to just bawl all night! I'm just so happy. You have no idea."_

Pulling her face away from her blanket, Anabel pointed at the dried tears on her cheeks. _"I completely understand. I COMPLETELY understand!"_ She lifted her hand in the air.

Dawn wrapped her fingers around the Empathic's. The two clenched their hands together as they swung it back and forth in_ triumph_.

Right now, in their heart – _they were victors_. And no one could tell them otherwise. Because _'Maya'_ was an indisputable title… _and they knew it._

* * *

><p>"<em>MAYY!"<em>

"_**MAAAAYYYYY!"**_

"_MAY COME BACK!"_

Maylene dropped her shoulders with a **sigh**. "This isn't fair. The girl's an Empathic. She probably can see us coming from a mile away…"

"She can already hear us from a mile away. We** are** shouting her name after all." Angie shrugged. "And besides, can't you block off Empathy?"

"Yeah, I guess… but I have to control my breathing for that. If I do it, I'd be moving twice as slow just so I can keep it hidden comfortably." The fighter shrugged back. "I use it in short distances most times."

Angie leaned against a tree. _"Man it's really dark…"_

She pulled out a poké ball. **Click. Vacuum. Snap.**

Luxio stretched and yawned.

"Hey Lux. Can you light this place up?"

It nodded and whipped its tail against the ground.

The four-pointed star on the tip lit up the woods around them. Making the deeper part of the woods seem far darker in contrast.

The tomboy shivered. "I hate that about using lights in forests… _makes everything look so much creepier._"

Maylene sat on the grass below. She began to pick at her bare toes, scratching off the dirt in the nails. "At least she can see us now. If she wants to come back, that is."

"I'm sure she will. From what I've seen, she's kind of a coward. Wouldn't stand two minutes in these woods alone." Angie sat down as well, staring at the fighter's feet. "…do you never wear shoes?"

"Not really. Is that bad?"

"Doesn't it hurt your feet?"

"No way. Check it." She pulled her foot up and tapped on its sole. "Hard as a rock."

Angie flicked at it. "That's crazy… maybe I should try walking without shoes."

"I have to warn you though… for the first few weeks, it will crack and cut A LOT. And it hurts. Mostly just an irritating kind of hurt, but sometimes it's honestly painful."

"_Mm…_ Maybe I'll hold off then."

…

…

Maylene scratched her shoulder in awkwardness. "So… _what's it like_?"

The tomboy blinked. "What's what like?"

"Being Ramie?"

Angie shrugged.

"…you don't know?"

"Nope… I don't feel any different."

The pink-haired fighter **sighed** and shook her head. "That just sucks."

"What? Did I say something wrong? Am I _supposed_ to feel something?"

"Nah… _it's just…_ well, Ash would go _'Sato'_ sometimes. Misty would get all bipolar with _'Maya'_. And Bianca is definitely acting like _'Leanne'_ now… even calling herself that. Don't know much about Casey and _'Quinn'_, though."

Angie tilted her head and frowned. "Wait _what_? How do you know all that?"

"How do I know all what?"

"Ash turning _'Sato'_ and Misty going _'Maya'_! I never seen or even _heard _of any of that going on!"

Maylene grinned. "I happened to _see_ some things. _Overheard_ other things."

"You eavesdropper!"

"Says the girl who eavesdropped in on a private meeting!"

"Hey, that was partially my business. You probably had no business peaking in on whatever you saw."

"And how was that meeting **your** business?"

"Ash runs off with a bunch of girls into the woods? You _seriously_ think I wouldn't want to keep an eye on him?"

Maylene gave a hinting smile and winked. _"Wanted to see something, did ya'?"_

"Wh-Wh-What? **N-NO!**"

The fighter laughed. "I'm just joking with ya'!"

"_Geez…"_ Angie wiped the blush off her cheeks. "You perv."

"I guess you could call me that… considering that I _saw something_."

…

…

Maylene blinked. "Aren't you going to ask me what that _something_ was?"

"No way. I don't want to know. I don't** ever **want to know."

"Has something to do with Ash…"

"Nope."

"And Misty…"

"Nuh-uh."

"And one of them being naked."

Angie's face turned completely pink. **"Wh-What?"**

"See? You are SO interested now! **You're** the perv!"

"I – **I am not!** Don't talk about it anymore!"

"_You sure?_ Even if it has something to do with your precious Sato?"

"I –"

"_**Tell me! Tell me!"**_ May's head appeared above them.

"**WH-WHAA-?"** Maylene and Angie scrambled backwards in complete shock.

The Coordinator fell between them, head-first. "OW!"

"**M-MAY?"** Angie was gasping for air.

Maylene was laughing hard. "Were you in that tree the whole time?"

May rolled to a sitting position and rubbed her head. "_Ow…_ yes?"

Angie gave her a small punch against the shoulder. "You nearly gave me a heart-attack!"

"Don't blame me! You two were the ones that sat underneath my tree! And by the way: I am **not** a coward!"

The fighter calmed her laughter and gave a mischievous smirk. "Apparently how you get May down from a tree is to talk about Ash being naked."

"_**ASH WAS NAKED?"**_

Angie plugged her nose and tilted her head back.

"Pff! **No!**" Maylene laughed again. "You two are so easy to excite."

"_Not funny, Maylene."_ Angie growled as she prevented the nosebleed from continuing.

May hid her disappointment by facing the other way.

The fighter snickered at their responses. "Whoever this Ramie was, I get the feeling she was a total pervert."

"_J-Just for Ash."_ the Coordinator silently admitted. The comment earned her a **slap** on the back. "OW!"

Maylene gave her a big smile. "_See?_ No problem with being honest!"

…

…

Angie had finished draining the blood from her nose and looked at May. "You alright?"

"…_y-yeah… _just needed some time to think things through…"

Punching her slightly on the arm, Maylene did her best to encourage her, "Hey. Nothing wrong with being Ramie… Ramie was a tough girl!"

…

"_I… I know."_ May nodded weakly. "I just thought I was _Maya_… by every description Leanne gave us, I thought _it was me_… and… well…"

Angie kicked a nearby tree. "_Who cares about that Maya, anyways…?_ Don't keep comparing yourself to some girl from the past. If you like Ash, then just show him you're better."

"…_better?"_

Maylene nodded at Angie's words. "_**Exactly.**_ And besides, wasn't Ramie Sato's partner? Fought with him through thick and thin! In my opinion, Sato missed out on the perfect one! Got too distracted by _little miss delicate flower_."

"There's more to a girl than just looks and being sensitive!" the tomboy added proudly. "We can be just as dependable and strong as any guy. We can have character! Charisma! We're not all princesses that just wait for their prince. Some of us can actually go out there and fight alongside them too!"

May's face lit up. **"S-So that means we're going to win back Sato? **_**Shove it in Maya's face?**_**"**

Angie's eyes widened. Her pink face showed complete uncertainty. _"W-W-Well I wouldn't g-go that far… I mean, just being th-there for h-him is j-j-"_

She got shoved out of the way by an ecstatic Maylene.

"**YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!"** A fire burned in her eyes. "We'll show those flimsy bellossoms that their pretty little Petal Dance won't get them everywhere in life! We aren't just going to give up just because our man got confused!" She held out her fist.

"_**YEAH!"**_ May punched the fist in excitement.

…

"_OW!"_ She blew at her knuckles in pain.

Maylene grinned. **"Go Team Ramie!"**

Angie crawled to her feet. "_Er…_ how does that work anyway?"

"How does what work?"

"_Three_ of us. _One _Sato."

"…we…take turns?"

Angie's face turned a bright red. _**"W-WHAT?"**_ She kicked the fighter's leg. "The things that come out of your mouth, I swear!"

May smirked. "If it comes down to it. I say _we fight for it_."

The other two blinked. **"Fight?"**

"Ramie was a Fighter, right?" May folded her arms. "Then if we have to choose who gets Ash, it only makes sense that we settle it in a fight."

Maylene pounded her fists together. "**NOW YOU'RE TALKIN'!** I **LOVE** Team Ramie!"

Angie gave a nervous laugh. _"Well, it's a better suggestion than Maylene's at the very least."_

The Empathic Coordinator found herself completely pumped. "_**WHO NEEDS MAYA?**_ And why are we waiting around here? Let's go remember what it meant to be Ramie right now!"

"_Right now?"_ The tomboy stiffened.

"**OK!"** Maylene jumped in exhilaration. "Sinnoh region, here we come!"

* * *

><p>Pikachu curled up against Ash's hollow body. He let out a quiet sigh before falling asleep.<p>

Ritchie frowned at the scene, tilting his cap to cover his eyes. _"Poor little guy…"_

"_Yeah…"_ Solana nodded. She ran her fingers through Plusle's short fur, feeling its soft breathing as its back slowly raised and lowered. _"…I wonder how Ash's other pokémon are doing…"_

"_Supposedly they're still in his room."_

The Ranger shot a look in the trainer's direction. "What?"

He flinched._ "Y-Yeah. When Team Rocket attacked his house, he forgot his poké ball belt behind the door. At least, that's what he told Angie."_

Solana gently placed her partner pokémon beside Pikachu and stood. "We need to go get them…"

"_What?"_ Ritchie blinked in surprise. _"Why? That place might still be monitored!"_

"It doesn't matter. We need to save those pokémon…" She began walking. "Are you coming?"

He got up and followed. _"What do you mean 'save'?"_

"Think about it, Ritchie… how long has it been since Ash started this entire adventure?"

"_Um… actually, I don't really know."_

"_We'll just say a long time._ But fact is, if poké balls aren't connected to a Poké Ball Vitality Device or inside a Pokémon Storage Machine, the pokémon aren't put in complete stasis." Her eyes narrowed as she began to make longer strides. "Meaning those pokémon are being starved to death inside their poké balls…"

"What?" Ritchie grabbed Solana by the wrist and pulled her as he began sprinting. "I never knew that! **HURRY!**"

* * *

><p>"<em>And where do you two think you're going…"<em>

Todd followed Ritchie and Solana's movements with his night camera. _"Abandoning your post? Not very responsible. Looks like Leanne hired the wrong people to guard Ash."_

"Honestly, I find it weird to call her by that name." Tracey continued his sketches by lamplight. "I think she looked more like a _'Bianca'_."

"Quit spying on the other groups, Todd." Gary yawned. "We need to get some rest. Long day tomorrow."

The photographer put down his camera. He blinked to readjust his sight to the dim surroundings. "Why are we even going on this crazy trip, anyway? Nothing to really benefit us."

Tracey glared at him. "This is for Ash, remember?"

"Ash knew what he was getting himself into. I don't know why we have to sacrifice our time and lives just to give the guy a **THIRD** chance in life."

A pencil nearly poked his eye out. "_Whoah!_ Watch it!"

"He sacrificed his life for all of us! **Show some respect!**"

"I never asked him to." Todd shrugged his shoulders. "He did it on his own terms."

"_You're heartless…"_

"I'm not heartless. I already gave my respects. I'll have you know I'm submitting an article and several photos, about and from this entire adventure, to _The Monthly Poké Paper_… Ash is going to be world famous after this, whether he likes it or not. I just need to do some interviews…"

"A shallow way of showing thanks." Tracey shook his head and returned to his sketches, pulling out another pencil from his bag.

"What? What do you want me to do?" The photographer stood, challenging the sketch artist with his posture. "Do a song and dance? Praise his name? Fawn over him like the girls?"

"**You could've at least helped!**" Tracey growled. "I saw you in that room during the fight! Hiding in the vent with your camera!"

"What did you expect me to do? Throw my camera at that thing?"

"You were there before any of us reached that room! You could've at least distracted the darkness! Or pulled Ash away before it could grab him! _Anything_!"

Todd crossed his arms. "I wanted to see if he would make the same choice… If I got involved, he might've changed his mind."

"_What_ choice? He was swallowed up by the darkness! There was no Arceus there for him to make a choice with!"

"_And you think I knew that was going to happen?_ None of us could've predicted what would happen then!"

"And yet** YOU** predicted that he would make the same choice as before! You counted on that fact just so you could be right and you could mark him as a failure!"

Todd laughed at the irony. "_**Don't even preach to me, Tracey!**_ _**You**_ were the one going around the camp trying to get people to stop Ash from making the same choice! You didn't trust him either!"

"_I changed my mind in the end…"_

"Did you? _Did you really?_ I'm pretty sure I saw with my own two eyes that **CASEY** was the one that brought Ash there! While everyone else came late **BECAUSE** they doubted him. Including **you**, Tracey!"

"But I at least respect his sacrifice!"

"_So which is it?_ Is he sacrificed or are we saving him?"

"…what?"

Todd threw his arms up in frustration. "You want me to respect him as if he's dead! As far as I can tell, he's _**not**_ dead – and we're making **EXTRA SURE** he isn't dead!_** What dead person**_ am I respecting here? If anything, Ash owes **US **his respect!"

Tracey dropped his sketchpad and faced him eye-to-eye. "What is _with _you? What in the world are you trying to prove? **Ash is our friend!** We're doing this because he's our friend! Yet you keep treating him like he's just some acquaintance that owes you money!"

Before Todd could snap back, Gary interrupted, "He's just jealous."

"**Jealous?** Who ar–"

Gary opened his eyes. His serious stare stopping the photographer from continuing his assault.

"I'm Farron. And so are you." He sighed and wrapped his blanket tighter around himself. "Farron was always jealous of Sato. History repeats – looks like you're the jealous Farron in this story."

"Hmph…" Todd smirked. "_'Farron'_. I'm Todd Snap. Not some person that depended on pokémon to get a name for himself. I work alone, _'Farron'_ didn't."

"And yet here you are…" Gary smirked back. "…losing to a guy who doesn't even have to be awake to get your girl to follow him obediently."

"_**Y-YOU!"**_

"You want to beat Ash?" The Pokémon Researcher rolled onto his side and adjusted his head against the tree. "You have to beat him at his own game. Right now, he needs his past self to survive. So you need to be your past self just to compete. If he dies now, you won't ever know if you ever really beat him."

…

Todd turned away and slid into his sleeping bag.

…

Tracey sighed… returning to his sketches with a solemn attitude.

* * *

><p>…<p>

…

…

"Can I just be the first to say that this is really awkward?"

Casey leaned forward and exhaled loudly.

"Tell me about it…" Domino nodded.

Sabrina didn't respond.

The three women sat around their lamplight uncomfortably.

"I mean… **what the heck** is **she** doing here?" Casey pointed at Domino.

"H-Hey!"

"And **what in the world** do I have in common with **you**?" She moved her finger to Sabrina.

The Psychic laughed in response.

Casey's eye twitched. "Seriously, Sabby, that laugh is messed up."

Sabrina blinked. "What's wrong with my laugh?"

"It's too… _girly_ for you." She shivered. "_This is too weird._ You've never talked to me before! And now you're talking all casual!"

"I just asked a question…"

"And you're **STILL** talking! I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you as a… _person… that talks… _like you're some kind of normal person."

The Psychic laughed again.

"And seriously! **What is she doing here?**" Casey pointed at the former Rocket Agent again.

**Sigh.** "I have a name, you know."

"**And I have purple hair!** That doesn't explain why I'm here! Why **ARE** you here?"

"I'm part of the Quinn group, aren't I?"

"W-well _yeah_. But… why would you even want to?"

"I had a choice?"

"Didn't you?"

…

Domino shrugged. "Maybe I wanted to know what my life was like before this one. Honestly I don't think this life is that great."

"_Great, I'm stuck with two people who have such a happy outlook in life!"_ Casey groaned sarcastically.

Sabrina tilted her head. "I have a happy outlook."

Shaking her head, Casey shivered again. "D-don't talk like that! You're supposed to be all _unhappy_ and _moody_! This is just the _weirdest _team, I swear."

"If you don't like it, you can leave it." Domino pulled out a pocket mirror and began to adjust her hair.

The baseball fan looked back at her. She tapped her lip. _"…weren't you crazy?"_

"Hm?" Domino didn't look away from the mirror.

"Back in the Rocket Base. Didn't Team Rocket make you crazy or something?"

"Yeah."

…

"So… _why aren't you now_?"

"Maylene fixed it."

"**Oh okay.**" Casey slapped her hand on her leg. "That's _absolutely _normal. You can just _**fix **_crazy."

"Yep." the ex-Rocket exhaled as she finished touching up her hair.

She was surprised that no one commented on how she could see again. A _minor detail_ that no one seemed to notice, as _sanity seemed to be the more important issue_.

Unlike Ash's blindness caused by physical damage, hers was created through extreme emotional trauma. With the trauma gone, her eyesight slowly returned. _…not that anyone cares._

…

…

"_This is by far, the most talkative group I've ever been in."_ **Sigh.**

"I can be talkative." Domino closed her pocket mirror. "I just don't know any of you."

"…_didn't need to know us to run a monologue."_

"Business perk." She pulled off her shoes and gloves. "_But if you really want to talk…_ what's Quinn like?"

Casey removed her baseball cap and shook her hair loose. "Honestly? Quinn's more like her." She pointed her thumb at Sabrina. "I have no idea how I resemble her."

"I believe it was her knack of common sense that you most resembled." the Psychic responded. "Though the two of us tend to share the same loyalty towards Sato."

**Slam.**

Casey planted her palms onto the broken log between her and the Psychic. She was leaning forward with a look of shock. **"Y-You've had visions too?"**

"No. I just saw your visions through your thoughts."

"_Looking through my mind?_ **Rude!**" She threw a piece of bubblegum into her mouth. "Didn't your mom teach you any manners?"

"She tried. I turned her into a doll." Sabrina mentioned nonchalantly. "It's alright. She's better now."

…

"Fixing crazies and turning moms into dolls. At least we can say we're probably the most interesting group here." Casey fell back onto the grass and watched the stars in the sky.

Domino continued the previous topic, "So Sabrina… what qualities would you say that Quinn and I share?" She held a straight face, hiding her extreme curiosity on the topic.

"You both were part of an evil organization intent on taking over the universe."

Casey snorted. "Sabrina! Cold!"

"Honest fact." the Psychic clarified. She returned her attention to Domino. "I would also say you really hold Quinn's serious personality quite well."

"**SHE **takes her serious personality?" The purple-haired girl sat up and raised her brow. "And what does that make you?"

"I'm not serious. I'm professional."

Casey's brow rose higher. "_Really?_ You're not serious? Not even the slightest bit?"

"Not really. I'm quite immature."

"_Im-Immature?_ How in the world are you immature?"

Sabrina began counting with her fingers. "I laugh at childish jokes. I get irrational. I spend most of my time daydreaming. I'm shy. And I play pranks on people."

…

Casey's eye twitched. "_**Wh-Why are you telling us all this?**_ It's completely ruining my image of you!"

The Psychic laughed. "We're all Quinn here. We might as well be honest with one another."

"If – If you're so immature – then why in the world do you always act so serious?"

"I already discussed that: I'm professional. I only keep my serious face on because people need me to."

Slapping her hands to her face, Casey groaned. "_This is so wrong! I feel like I learned a dirty secret!_ Does no one else know this?"

"Ash was quite aware of this." Sabrina grinned with a blush.

"_**Eh-ah-ek-da-wh-wha?"**_ The baseball fan backed away. "Wha-What's that blush all about? **Did y-you have a thing for Ash?**"

She didn't respond. She just kept smiling.

Casey's jaw dropped. **"HE'S LIKE TEN YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU!"**

"I'm not** THAT** old." Sabrina pouted. _"…close, though."_ She looked away as if distracted.

"**Y-Y-You're a pedophile!"**

"Actually, she'd be more of a persian." Domino chimed in. "Ash isn't that young."

"You two aren't very kind." Sabrina stood and walked over to her tent. _"…besides…"_

She crawled in and zipped the entrance closed. _"It would only be wrong if he wasn't interested…"_

"_**WH-WHAT DID YOU SAY?**_ – **OOF!**"

Casey tried to storm the tent, only to find an invisible wall blocking her path.

**THOK THOK THOK**

She repeatedly slammed her fist against the psychic barrier.

"**SABRINA! SABRINA! OPEN UP!"**

Domino sighed and opened her emergency blanket packet. _"I should probably get some rest, too…"_

"**SABRINA!"**


	39. Chapter 39 Affliction

The morning sun rose and greeted the forest.

Spots of green, yellow, and orange light decorated the grass below, where seven pokémon and three humans lay.

A flicker of sunlight twinkling against his eyelid, a young man sat up and observed the area around him.

"Hey, Solana…?"

He was about to place his hand on her shoulder to wake her… when she rolled over.

She sighed softly in her sleep. Her teal hair slid away from her face…

_It was far more relaxed when she was asleep_, he noticed. _Or maybe she just wears hairspray…_

Her chest rose and lowered gently with her breaths… the red short jacket she normally wore was lying underneath her… leaving only the _one-piece_ uniform… the extremely _accentuating _one-piece uniform.

Ritchie's face turned pink. He swallowed hard, trying to lock away any and all thoughts.

But she was right there. _Not a dream. Not from a distance._ And _not hiding a single thing_ from his sight.

His eyes traced her curves. He did his best to stop himself, but it was already too late.

_She's so… beautiful._

In his best effort to prevent himself from going anywhere_ lower_ than that affection, he forced his eyes up to her face.

_**!**_

Her eyes met his.

…

The two stared at one another, wide-eyed, pink-faced. Both unsure what to do… or what to say.

Solana sat up immediately and placed her jacket back on. She curled up, covering her chest behind her legs.

"_Ah-… uhm…"_ Ritchie tried to remember what he wanted to wake her for. "_R-_Right… I wanted to wake you up for _uh_… the pokémon. _Th-_They're looking a lot better."

The Pokémon Ranger looked at her surroundings curiously.

On Ash's lap, Pikachu and Plusle were curled up against one another.

Around them, lay the other five pokémon.

Buizel. Sceptile. Heracross. Infernape. And Donphan.

The five that were left behind in Ash's poké ball belt.

"You're right." Solana smiled. "Looks like we got to them just in time."

Each one slept soundly and appeared to be in far better condition compared to the night before.

_The night before…_ was not one they would easily forget. After breaking into Ash's room and sneaking off with his poké ball belt and backpack, the duo spent the rest of their night and following morning feeding the released pokémon in coordinated and timed increments. _'Eating too fast could be fatal for a starved pokémon.' _Ritchie had reminded.

During their breaks, the two would share information and tips on taking care of pokémon… In this experience, they realized that the other had knowledge more applicable in their field than the facts they memorized for themselves. And when no more advice or instruction could be traded, Solana and Ritchie had exchanged stories, jokes, and trivia.

It was enlightening, and most importantly, _comforting_.

Neither could remember a time when they've ever felt so comfortable around another person. The journey with Ash was often stressful and filled with too much drama for their tastes… every word, thought, and emotion they could have expressed felt like it was always under surveillance. No one could even breathe without it being judged. It was a taxing environment.

Ash's journey wasn't their own, but they travelled it for others. And though it still wasn't their road, they were glad to have each other's company for the rest of the voyage.

"We should probably tell the others what we did last night."

Ritchie's voice snapped the Pokémon Ranger away from her memories.

"_H-Huh?_ Oh… _right_." She smiled embarrassingly. "Sorry, mind was elsewhere."

"No problem." He smiled back. "We did just wake up after all."

"Hey, Ritch?"

"_Y-_Yeah?"

"…_I know it's a bit forward of me to ask… but… _can you cook that stamina soup again?"

Ritchie sighed into a laugh, completely relieved and disappointed at where the question ended.

Solana blushed in embarrassment. "D-Did I say something wrong? I – _I mean, you don't have to cook if you want._ I just have to warn you that I'm nowhere near as good as you."

"_Oh n-no._ It's not that!" He waved his hands casually. _"I just thought you were going to ask something else…"_ his voice trailed off.

"What was that? _I'm sorry_, I didn't quite hear." She laughed nervously.

"N-Nothing. Yeah, I can cook you some! _I mean us._ I can cook **us** some."

"I d-don't mean to be a bother… I was just starving… _and I really love your soup._ **Cooking!** I meant cooking."

_Same thing, Solana! Ahh! Why am I getting so nervous around him now? I was able to talk to him casually last night…_

Ritchie grinned. "One stamina soup coming right up! It might take a while, though…"

"Oh, that's fine! I'm just going to go into town for a while. I'll be back, okay?"

"Huh? Oh um, sure! Any particular reason?"

"Just to kill some time until the food's ready." She waved. "Take care of Plusle for me while I'm gone!"

"Sure thing!" Ritchie waved back.

…

He buried his face in his palm._ I bet she's going to town to buy clothes after that embarrassing wake-up call… gah, you're so stupid, Ritchie…_

* * *

><p>"I'm back!"<p>

"Welcome back, Sola-…" Ritchie's greeting expression froze in place.

Teal hair down, covering one eye as it swung forward. Perfectly fitted vanilla-colored V-neck that was nearly a belly cut. Open white vest made to bring attention towards the chest. And a slight upper-thigh, dark-gray kick pleat skirt that especially brought out the pear-shape of her body… Solana did indeed go shopping for new clothes.

Ritchie suddenly felt like his clothes were old and ratty…

"Do you like it?" The Pokémon Ranger spun in place.

…

The experienced trainer closed his mouth and shook off his shocked appearance.

"Y-Yes! _It's very…_ cute!"

Solana giggled. "I'm glad!" She spun again and posed. "I just thought that since we're going to a resort that I should dress up for the occasion! Besides, since I'm not on official Ranger duty, I thought ditching the uniform for a while would be the smart thing to do."

"R-Right!"

…

"Ritchie?"

"_Y-Yeah?"_

"Doesn't that hurt?"

"What?"

"Your hand's in the soup."

"Oh. _My ha-_? AAAAAAAA**AAAH**_**HHHHH!**_" Ritchie pulled his hand away and rolled onto the ground in pain.

Solana looked around in panic. "Ah! **Buizel!** Water gun!"

"Bui!" The Sea Weasel Pokémon shot a small stream of cold water into the Trainer's hand.

Ritchie **sighed** in relief. "_Ahhhh…_ thanks Buizel… and thanks Solana."

"…call me Lana."

"L-Lana?"

The Ranger blushed. "Yeah…_ I think it fits this look better_, right?"

…

She blinked. "_Um…_ is something up, Ritchie?"

"N-No! Nothing!"

"Is something wrong with my outfit? Is my skirt too small?"

Ritchie's face turned completely pink. "_**N-No!**_ Th-that's not to say that it can't be longer – not that there's something wrong with short! _N-Not in a perverted way_, th-that is. I **w-wasn't** thinking of it that way, of course. It-_It's just_ –"

Solana's laugh interrupted his blabbering. **"You're so cute!"**

"C-Cute?" His pink cheeks began to glow red.

She winked. "What do you like most about my outfit?"

"_I… uh… mm…"_ He looked away. "I like the whole thing… You… _look younger_."

Tilting her head to one side, Solana frowned. "Younger? _Did I look old?_"

"N-No! N-Not like that… just saying… _er… you look… like… uhm…_"

"_Young enough to be your girlfriend?"_

Ritchie's body stiffened.

A small _**squeal**_ was heard in the nearby bushes.

"_Shhhh!"_

"**Who's there!"** Solana pulled out her Capture Styler.

"_She heard you! I told you to be quiet!"_

"_Ow! Stop it!"_

"_Move it move it move it! No, not this way! The other way!"_

"_You're pushing me! Move your foot!"_

"**Get out here! Right now!"** The Ranger got into a battle stance.

Two figures tumbled out of the underbrush and flopped onto their stomachs.

"_Owww…"_ a girl with long blue hair groaned.

"I think there's a twig caught in my shirt…" a young woman with short lilac hair whimpered.

"Dawn? Anabel?" Solana put down her Styler and folded her arms. "What are you doing hiding in our bushes?" she asked with an irritated tone.

"W-Well…" Anabel was about to explain.

Dawn interrupted, "Don't pretend you weren't in there, **Misty**!"

**Rustle.**

An orange-haired woman approached with her hands up. "Yeah,_ yeah_, I'm here too."

The Pokémon Ranger put her hand to her hip. "And what are _**all three**_ of you doing here?"

"**It's Misty's fault!** She's the one who dragged us here!" Dawn pointed… completely unaware of her childishness.

"I just came here because I smelled something good." Misty defended.

"_You said you dragged us here because you saw something adorable…"_ Anabel sighed.

The Cerulean Gym Leader turned away. "Blame Maya. I don't remember doing that."

"_Yeah right!"_ The blue-haired Coordinator grinned. "You keep blaming her just because you don't want to admit you like it!"

"I never said I didn't like it. I said _**I**__ didn't do it._ I came here for the soup."

"**Right! Soup!"** Ritchie began preparing some bowls, glad to have something to distract everyone away from the topic. "If you would like to invite the others, we might have enough for everyone."

Dawn shrugged. "Can't. Everyone's gone."

"Gone already?" Solana sat down after she was handed her serving._ "And we thought we were on schedule…"_

"So did we! But even **Maylene's** group already left!" The Coordinator accepted the soup she was given with a thankful bow. "And those girls _NEVER_ wake up on time!"

"That's crazy! I guess everyone's a lot more excited about this mission." **Sssiiip.** _Mmmm… this is soo good… _"So why aren't you girls in a hurry?"

Dawn gave an arrogant grin.

Misty simply stayed quiet and drank from her bowl.

…

Solana giggled. "Does it have to do with the fact that you're _Team Maya_?"

"Pff! **What?** No! Not at all!" The Coordinator took a big gulp of her soup before continuing, "Us being the girl of Sato's dreams who would no doubt be the only one to truly wake him from his deep sleep so everyone can just hold their ponytas because he's not waking up without us and they shouldn't even bother thinking that they're actually accomplishing something before we do? _No way._ Has **nothing** to do with it at _**ALL**_." She laughed as she took more spoonfuls of the soup.

"Quit being cocky." Misty nudged Dawn with her elbow.

"_Ash…"_

The group turned.

Sitting in front of Ash's slumbering body, Anabel gazed at the young man with a look of confusion and sorrow…

Dawn shuffled herself next to her and stared at the body with curiosity.

…

"He's not here right now." the Coordinator said with a sure nod. She grabbed onto Anabel's hand and placed it on Ash's chest. "But we'll get him back."

"_It just…"_ the Empathic's voice shook. "It just feels _wrong_… I'm supposed to feel him. I can feel his heart beat, _but I don't feel his heart_… this is just…"

A third hand pressed onto theirs.

Misty's.

She showed no sorrow or hurt in her eyes, though Anabel could _feel_ otherwise. Misty's grief made her feel like her own had been satisfied… as hers was far deeper, far more lost. Because in the woman's heart, _she carried two_. The despair of Maya's was just as real for Misty as her own.

"We will get him back. Count on it." The Cerulean Gym Leader smiled.

She stood and walked back into the deep woods. "Thanks for the soup, Ritchie. We'll be heading off now. Keep in contact."

"**We're leaving right now?** Wait up! I left some stuff back at our camp!" Dawn ran towards Ritchie and dropped her bowl. "Thank you again! It was delicious!" She chased after Misty.

Anabel politely bowed towards them before turning back to Ash. _"Please take care of him."_

Pikachu hopped onto her shoulder and snuggled her cheek. "Pikaaa…"

The Empathic giggled. "I know, I know. You'll take great care of him, Pikachu."

"Pika?"

"No, I'm sorry. Espeon has to go with me. You can play with her later when we meet up again."

"_Chu…"_

"We'll see each other again. Don't worry. Just watch over Ash until then."

Pikachu hopped off her shoulder and saluted.

Anabel laughed and saluted back.

She turned and nodded towards Ritchie and Solana. "Good luck on your travels."

"Good luck to you, too!" The Ranger smiled.

And with one last bow, the Empathic left the area…

…

…

**Ssssiiiiiip.** "Seriously, Ritch…_ I can have this soup for the rest of my life._"

"I'm glad you like it."

"_So are you going to ask me out yet or what?"_

"WH-WHAT?"

"Nothing." **Sssssiiiiiiip.**

* * *

><p>Soaring through the night sky, three pidgeots crossed over the last traces of land… the Fiore Region was now behind them, leaving only a vast sea between them and their final destination.<p>

"_I'M SO HUNGRY!"_

May gnawed on her backpack in distress. "Why didn't we bring any food?"

"Ritchie was the only one that packed us food!" Angie groaned. "Don't you cook? Didn't ANYONE buy snacks?"

"_I don't have any money…"_ Maylene's eyes watered. "I never have any money!"

"I thought I had some snacks in this bag… but they weren't snacks, they were potions…" The Coordinator buried her face into the pidgeot's back. _"And they tasted awful…"_

"Please tell me you at least have money!" The tomboy checked her pockets one more time. "Because I don't have anything on me…_ other than an arcade coin._"

May began to** sob**. "Ash wouldn't let me carry any money for the whole trip! I'd keep buying clothes whenever I had any money! Now I only have clothes and stupid potions in my bag! I don't think I even brought a blanket with me!"

Maylene cried out in despair, _"WE'RE GOING TO DIE OUT HERE!"_

The three **sighed** and fell silent.

…

Angie's eyes watched the water below, distracting her hunger with the beautiful moonlit reflections of the water's surface. _How long has it even been since we left that forest? And don't these pidgeots ever get tired? I wonder if May can sense how they're feeling…_

The Empathic Coordinator could. Though the large bird pokémon had nothing new to contribute to their conversation, as they were _starving_ as well…

_I feel bad for these guys._ May thought to herself, her bandana covering her eyes for added Empathic focus._ Gary will get angry at us for how bad we're treating them. They'll probably be skin and bones just like us by the end of this trip… Lucky Maylene… she's probably used to this._

Sensing for the fighter's emotions, she found her secret to ignoring hunger pains…

She was asleep.

May sighed_. I wish I could go to sleep. I'm too hungry to sleep. I'm too hungry to even be awake. I'll eat anything at this point…_ She grabbed her pokédev and bit one of its sides.

Her eyes widened. _Wait!_ The Coordinator pulled up her bandana. "I have an idea!"

Angie sat up straight. **"H-HUH? WHAT?"**

Maylene woke up with a snort. She wiped the drool off the pidgeot's feathers. _"Whu… Whuz going on?"_

"I said I have an idea!" May boasted loudly. She shoved out her pokédev for them to see.

The device slipped from her fingers…

…**plunk!**

…and fell to the waters below.

…

…

May's expression lay frozen. Tears flowing from her eyes.

"_M-My… Pokédev…"_

The other two gave blank stares.

"_Wow… um…_ that really sucked. I'm sorry." Angie scratched her cheek. "_But…_ you can always get a replacement!"

The Coordinator smothered her face with her backpack. _"But that had all my photos of Ash!"_

She fell onto her chest and frowned. _"Besides… it usually takes weeks to get a replacement. And they'd have to send it to my address."_

"_Er…_ You can use mine!" Maylene held up her pokédev. "What do you want to use it for?"

"**Perfect!"** May perked up. "You can call someone from Team Farron! Ask them if we can borrow some money! Just enough for a meal. Since we're headed in the same direction, we can easily meet up somewhere!"

"Great idea!" Angie grinned. "You rock, May!"

"Maylene rocks, too! She still has a pokédev!" The Coordinator laughed in embarrassment.

The fighter gave a thumbs-up. "OK! Calling Tracey!"

Opening the fold-out cover, the pokédev's screen gave its familiar startup animation. The display blinked… before blacking out completely.

"…_oh… _I guess I forgot to charge it."

…

…

"_W-Well, er…"_ Maylene scratched her head. "I might be able to borrow some money from some people I know back at Veilstone City… at the very least I could work on a side-job for them. If Lake Valor is in the east, then it shouldn't be too far from my Gym."

"_We wouldn't want to bother you…"_ May waved meekly. "You wouldn't happen to have a pokédev, would you, Anj?"

**Sigh.** "No… I only borrowed my parents'. I'd just use whatever vidphone was in town."

"**Vidphones!"** The fighter's eyes widened. "We can use a vidphone in the nearest town!"

"…I don't know any of their numbers off the top of my head." May blushed. _"I only remember Ash's…"_

"Same." Angie shrugged.

"Darn… _um…_" Massaging her chin, the fighter did her best to think of an alternative. "…Will it not be as awkward if you ask for money from your parents, Anj?"

"M-My parents?" Her face stiffened. "They'd **kill **me if they found out where I've been!"

"Looks like odd-jobs for me again!" Maylene stretched and **yawned**. _"I'll miss the rich life…"_

"Well that wouldn't be fair if you were the only one working." May frowned. "We're all part of Team Ramie! So we'll all work with you! Right, Anj?"

"Definitely!"

Maylene smiled. "Thanks, guys. This is seriously the best team, ever."

"We may not be perfect, but we never give up." Angie laughed.

"That should be our slogan!" May cheered. "Team Ramie! _We may not be perfect, but we never give up!_"

_Says the girl with the perfect figure._ The tomboy _sighed_ in her thoughts.

May flinched. She covered her chest with a slight look of shame.

_Oh crap, I forgot she could read emotions…_ Angie bowed. _S-sorry, May! Just being jealous. Don't mind me…_

The Coordinator gave a forgiving smile back, but continued using her backpack to hide her upper body.

_You really shouldn't be ashamed of that, May. _Angie continued her awkward apologies. _I'm just… well… flat. Barely even have hips. While you've got… the full package. And… this sounds terrible, doesn't it?_

May looked in Maylene's direction before answering…

…she was sound asleep…

"It doesn't really matter how you look, you know." The Coordinator surprised Angie with a verbal response. "Ash can't see. And even if he did, it still wouldn't matter since he never really… looked at me _that way_. So… yeah. He really does appreciate your company more than he does anything else. I don't think he's ever spent as much time with me privately as he has with you."

Angie scratched her head… still unused to these touchy-feely complimentary conversations. "I guess. But he sees me more of a friend than anything else. Just kinda' wish I had something that would make him more interested than that."

"Really? He treats you different compared to everyone else. I doubt he sees you as just a friend."

"_W-Well… it's hard to explain that, really._" She gave a nervous smile. "…he kinda' sees me as more than just a friend… but doesn't really want to go further than that because of… _well…_"

Her voice trailed off.

"If you don't want to say it out loud, you can just say it in your head. I can kind of read it through your emotions…" May pulled down her bandana and did her best to _focus_.

…

…

…_thing is…_ Angie's emotions vaguely translated itself to words. _Ash doesn't really… well… he isn't the type to get with someone just because he likes them._

"…what do you mean?"

…_I know I haven't spent that much time with him… but… I just know him. Connection. Weird kind of feeling. …and… I get the feeling Ash wouldn't really get with a person who… didn't need him._

"Didn't need him?"

_Y-Yeah. I think he knows that… well, I'll always be happy to just be near him… and as long as I can be confident, and strong, and independent… that he'll never need to be anything more than just a friend. I don't need him. At all. I can move forward without him and I don't think I'd be that sad…_ The tomboy's emotions gave a _depressed_ tone. _…I want to be sad, though. I want to be sad if I was without him. But I don't need to be… and he trusts that I'll take care of myself, because he'd be sad if I didn't…_

"…and you love him, so you will take care of yourself, and be strong and confident…"

_Yeah… that's what he l-loves about me… if I was just any broken girl, he'd be on his hands and knees to try to fix me up. But I'm not a broken girl… and I wouldn't make myself broken… because he loves me most when I'm fine._

"…so you think he just gets with girls he pities?"

Angie shook her head. _Pity is the wrong word. It really sounds like he pities them, but really, he just loves seeing them happy. When everyone's happy, he's perfectly fine… he loves it when people are at their best. He just… can't stand it when people are broken._

_Broken… _May looked down at her hands. _Is that why he gave me so much attention? …because I was broken? …He would've dated me just because I needed him?_

"He should be with someone that makes him happy… he shouldn't just be with someone that burdens him…"

_I agree. But he doesn't see it that way. He doesn't see a relationship that way. _Angie's emotions were becoming clearer. _He sees getting with someone as a way to give himself to someone who needs him. Ash won't really think about himself when it comes to that. Ash won't really think at all, he'll just act on it. And when someone important to him is in trouble, he just drops everything and gives whatever he can._

"Then what about wants…? What if everyone needs him, but only one really just wants him? Doesn't that make them _special_? Doesn't that make them need him more than them?" May pressed her hands to her heart, feeling a _pain_ grow inside her. "_Anyone_ can need him… and any other guy can fix those girls… but not everyone will want Ash for who he is…"

"The way he sees it…" Angie finally spoke. "…any guy can be there for the broken gals. But they never do and they never are. So he does. He does, hoping every day that they find the right guy. Being that right guy for them until they don't need him anymore."

"**But that's wrong!"** Tears fell from the Coordinator's eyes. "He shouldn't just be a substitute for girls that would just use him!"

She flinched. Her heart _pained_ again. _…would I have used him?_

"…_he… deserves love too…"_

…

"And I'll wait for him to understand that." Angie stared off into the distance. "I don't need Ash to love me… But I do love him. I'll be by his side no matter how long, no matter what, and no matter if he needs me or not. He doesn't need to give me a single thing, and I'll still be there for him. Because I want to be."

"…_I want to, too."_

"Well, get in line. I got here first." The tomboy laughed.

May gazed at her in admiration. _"…you think Ramie was like this, too?"_

"Probably. I can't say for sure, though."

"…_I think she felt the same thing… I think that's why… why I'm like this…"_

Angie looked towards her and tilted her head. "Like what?"

"…_I think… Ramie really wanted to be Maya… so Sato would look at her and love her…"_ She pressed her hand hard against her chest._ "…I think she wished to know what it was like… to have Ash all to herself…"_

…

Angie exhaled and gave a soft smirk. "_Yeah…_ that sounds like something I'd do. A bit selfish, but hey… everyone wants to be selfish every now and then."

"I think you deserve to be selfish." May nodded towards her. "More than anyone else here. If it comes down to a fight, I'll help you beat Maylene. And you can have Ash."

The tomboy laughed in response. "That's really sweet, but no thanks."

"Why?"

"Because you'd be doing the same thing I'm doing now. Then I'd be the selfish girl that doesn't deserve him because you're the selfless girl that gave up her chance so he could be happy."

"I can find my own happiness."

"I said that to myself a lot, too. Fact is though, I didn't want to be happy with anyone else. And you're going to feel the same."

"…then… what are we supposed to do?"

"We find out who Ramie was first… maybe she had an answer, but just never got the chance to try it…"

"…actually, I think we should help Maylene earn some money first." May snickered. "I think we'll need food first and foremost."

"_You got that right…"_ Maylene mumbled into her pidgeot's back.

Angie jumped. **"Y-YOU WERE AWAKE?"**

"_Don't mind me. Don't mind me."_ Maylene waved at them without lifting her head. _"Keep going with your little plans to double-team the best fighter here. I doubt it'll do you much good. I could fight the both of you with my hands tied behind my back."_

…

…

The three laughed together.

"We love you, Maylene~!" May giggled.

"_Right back at ya', cowards."_

* * *

><p><em><strong>YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWNN<strong>_

"Well that was a nice flight!" Tracey stretched his arms and rolled his neck.

"Too bad the movie was awful." Todd grunted as he lifted his bag onto his shoulder. "Who picks those movies, anyways? They should seriously get fired."

The sketch-artist raised his finger as if pointing to his knowledge. "I heard they choose non-high-rated movies in order to keep the passengers calm and relaxed during the flight. A mediocre movie is better for putting people to sleep than an exciting one, after all."

"_Either that, or it's just some sick joke a person put up just to get back at the rude passengers."_ Todd grumbled.

"You're not a very positive person, are you?"

"Ask me again when I've had my coffee…"

Finding what he was looking for on the conveyer belt; Gary raised and placed his rolling luggage onto the stone flooring. "Anyone need to use the restroom? Better go now before we head out."

"I'm good."

"Same."

"Okay_, let's see…_" The Pokémon Researcher pulled out a map. "We're in Veilstone City… and looks like route 214 leads straight to Lake Valor… Sendoff Spring is said to be east of route 214… though we could probably travel faster by taking the 214D road. By taxi, that is if you don't mind missing out on most of the scenic route."

…

The photographer and sketch artist gave him an awkward stare.

…

Gary sighed in defeat. "Fine. We'll walk. But first we need to find someplace to sleep for the night."

"I know a really good hotel near here." Todd suggested.

"What kind of bathtub do the rooms have?"

"Wasn't able to afford the nicer rooms last time I went there, but they have a nice restaurant."

"…swimming pool empty or full on business days?"

"Full, but mostly popular with the women."

"Ratings?"

"I say they're about eights most times."

Gary smiled. "Good enough for me. Lead the way. I'll pay for the good rooms."

Tracey blinked. "Wait… _what just happened_? We actually have time for a little vacation like this?"

"Loosen up, Trace." Todd elbowed him and winked. "We did want a scenic route, didn't we?"

"…yes? But what's so scenic about a pool?"

"Let's just say you'll get a lot of practice sketching _proportions_ there."

…

"Oh… **OH!** Okay. _Wait._" Tracey blushed. _"We have time for that?"_

Gary shrugged. "We make time for it."

"And here I thought you gave up on chasing women."

"I don't chase. They chase me. And they just got tired of keeping up." The Pokémon Researcher laughed. "No, but seriously, having women around is distracting. But everyone needs a distraction from time to time."

Todd walked towards the automatic doors and waved. "Hurry up. Their food services might close soon. And I'm starving!"

"Just treat this like an exercise on observation and adaptation. It'll sharpen your skills and self-control, trust me." Gary headed towards the exit.

"Whatever you say." Tracey followed. "I just hope the room has a fridge."

The three men exited the airport in excitement.

"_Hey, wouldn't it be funny if one of the groups tried flying to Sinnoh on their pidgeots?" _Tracey joked.

* * *

><p>"<em>You have now arrived. Thank you for taking Happiny Airlines! We hope you have a pleasant day!"<em>

"_Welcome to Jubilife City. The City of Joy. We hope you have a joyful day!"_

Hopping into the airport terminal, Bianca spun and giggled in delight. "**That was the best airplane flight I've ever been on! **It was my second flight ever, but still better than the first!"

An automatic message blurted from a nearby mascot statue, _"Have a happiny day! We hope you will consider Happiny Airlines for your future flights!"_

"Oh I certainly will!" The blonde hugged the electronic figure tightly.

"…_I know I like pink, but I didn't think I'd be drowned in it." _Leanne groaned as she stumbled out of the boarding bridge, carrying several bags around her arms. "That's the last time I take this airline…"

"**What?"** Bianca looked at her in disbelief. "That was the **cutest **plane ever! Even the stewardess that served us was wearing a cute pink uniform! And she was so happy! You think they're hiring? You think I can get a job as a stewardess? You think I'd be qualified for Happiny Airlines? What kind of smile should I use? _This one_? … or _this one_?" She continued changing between grins and smiles.

"…_I think you're over-qualified for the job."_ Leanne** sighed. **"Can you help with the bags?"

"**Oh!** Sure!" Bianca snatched the largest bag, nearly falling over. "Wh-Why did you bring so many carry-ons?"

"_Hmph._ I come from an island that is known as a tourist's heaven… I know a thing or two about check-ins and how problematic they can get. Carry-on is the** only** way to travel."

Latias, in the original Leanne's form, leapt out into the terminal, spinning and skipping in delight.

Bianca gasped. "Did you love the plane, too?"

Latias nodded gleefully.

The two hugged in merriment.

Leanne sighed.

"_Leanne? You were on this flight, too?"_

Turning back, the Alto Mare native noticed three familiar young women walking down the jetway.

"Misty?"

"_Wasn't that flight too pink?"_ the Cerulean Gym Leader groaned.

"YES!" Leanne was thrilled to have someone on her side.

"What are you talking about? That plane was soo cute!" Dawn giggled as she walked out into the open.

"It wasn't that bad. I thought the stewardesses were nice." Anabel added.

"_**AAAAAH! YES!"**_ Bianca and Latias hugged the two happy passengers. _**"Let's all take that flight again!"**_

Leanne coughed to get their attention. "I believe we have to do a mission first, yes?"

"Well **duh**! I meant afterward!" The blonde stuck her tongue out.

Misty dropped her bags and stretched her back. "So are you three heading straight for Eterna City?"

"Yes. We'll have to get there by pidgeot as there's no other direct road to there from here…" Leanne shrugged. "No time for scenic routes for us. How about your team?"

The three Mayas looked at each other and nodded.

Leanne's eyes narrowed. _…they're getting in sync faster than anticipated…_

"We're going to go find a hotel here first." Misty stated. "We'll be walking to Lake Verity from here since it's close by… _but…_ I think we can do a little shopping and exploring around the city before then."

"**SHOPPING!"** Anabel and Dawn high-fived.

"_**Oooooh! I wanna' shop!"**_ Bianca shook in excitement. Latias copied her expressions.

"No time. Eterna is our destination. We can go shopping there if we have time afterwards."

"But you said Eterna's an old town! _I don't want to shop where old people shop!_" she whined.

**Sigh.** "We can come back to Jubilife after, okay?"

"_**YESSS!"**_ Bianca squealed.

"We'll see you three later. Good luck in your mission." Leanne nodded and walked away.

Latias followed quickly after her.

"Good luck good luck!" Bianca grinned. With a huff she dragged the large bag she was given responsibility over. "Oh… and – **ah! **_Heavy…_ Tell me about all the good shops you find!"

"Sure thing! Good luck to you three, too!" Dawn waved.

"_**Byyeeee!"**_ The blonde, her hands occupied, waved her head instead.

The Leannes disappeared in the distance.

…

…

"Glad I'm not on their team." Dawn giggled. "That Leanne is such a stiff."

"She wasn't normally like that." Misty shrugged. "I just think she's taking her role a little too seriously."

"And you're not taking yours seriously enough!" Anabel patted her shoulder. "Admit it, you enjoyed that plane ride."

"I seriously did not."

"I bet Maya did."

Misty's face lit up. _"I sure did! It was so cute!"_

Anabel laughed.

The Gym Leader's face returned to normal. "I hate you."

"Lighten up, Mist." Dawn nudged her with her shoulder. "You're not on duty out here. It's just us girls. _Think of all the cute outfits you can get_!"

"We'll pick out the perfect outfit! You might even get Ash's sight back with how ravishing you'll look!" Anabel teased.

"He'll wake up speechless!" Dawn joined.

"He'll see you and be all _'From what fate have I awoken to? Have I faced death and this is mine angel to carry me to the heavens?'_" The Empathic posed dramatically.

"And you'd be all _'Do not speak such sweet words to me. I may lose my wings and halo!'_" The Coordinator took the second role.

"'_Then I shall speak no more. I shall silence my tongue for eternity if it means you will find happiness in the stars! I will merely gaze into the night sky and whisper my wishes – though they never be granted.'_"

"'_What wishes of yours could never be?'_"

"'_To regain my heart which I have left with you!'_"

"'_No! Such words corrupt my very being!'_"

"'_Then shun me, o gloriest of angels. For I am nothing but a man. A foolish man who thought his mortality would be witness to the single miracle of love!'_"

"'_I will not shun you! Instead I shall break my vows of immortality to be with you, my dear!'_"

"'_Blessed be! I am not worthy! I shall devote my life to your every being! Though you will be cursed mortal, I shall give you eternal love! One that cannot fade with time, nor be condemned by the heavens above! For if this love were not justified and good in the world, then may I battle the judges that look down upon me!'_"

"'_Oh Ash~!'_"

"'_Oh Anabel~!'_"

"A-Anabel?" Dawn broke away from the play. "I'm supposed to be Misty!"

"So I put in a little creative adjustment… it still works." The Empathic smirked.

Misty's red face was in her palms.

A small crowd had formed behind her.

The audience gave a light **applause** for their performance.

Anabel bowed. "Thank you. Thank you."

"_Pff._ You ruined the act and you still take credit." Dawn bowed as well.

"Yet the crowd still enjoyed it."

The spectators dispersed soon after, going back to their traveling schedules.

…

"…_**I hate you both."**_ Misty muffled from behind her hands… ashamed to show her face with them.

The two laughed hard and grabbed Misty by the shoulders.

"Come on! Let's go get a good hotel!" Dawn grinned.

"I hope we find one with room service." Anabel dragged the humiliated Gym Leader.

"_I want a separate room from you two."_


	40. Chapter 40 Trials

Placed onto the wet grass, a lamp flickered on and lit the night atmosphere with its soft glow.

Glimmering against the light, a great body of water was revealed.

"_Lake Acuity…"_

Sabrina crouched and sat near the lake's edge. Her fingertips slipping pieces of frost off the blades of grass underneath her. _"I wonder what it is we're supposed to find here…"_

The Psychic could already find the answer in one of her companions, though she kept silent to allow them to contribute their thoughts. _Be considerate._ a voice echoed in her mind.

"Uxie. The legendary Knowledge Pokémon is said to rest within the lake." Domino stepped forward and observed their surroundings. "Team Galactic managed to capture the pokémon in the past with the help of Hunter J. Though according to the reports, Ash and his team managed to free it from their grasp…"

"_Th-Th-Th-Th-That's'ssss g-great an-an-and-d a-all! B-But h-how a-are you guys k-k-k-keeping so warm?"_ Casey hissed with chattering teeth. _"I-I-It's f-reeezzzziiinng out-t h-here!"_

Sabrina removed her red coat and wrapped it around the shivering girl.

"_W-W-Won't you _be cold?" The baseball fan shook the last traces of discomfort from her body.

A breath of white fog released from the Psychic's lips. "I prefer cold."

Casey shook her head, not understanding the woman's inhuman tastes. With a sigh, she brought up a question she had been wondering since their arrival. "Couldn't we have gone to a hotel before coming here?"

"You're not curious to see your past?"

"Of course I'm curious! I just… well… you know, would prefer to come here at _godly_ hours."

"The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can relax." Sabrina's eyes turned and focused towards the shimmering waters. "…I don't think I'll be able to rest easy until I find out who this Quinn was…"

Domino dipped her fingers into the lake. "Same. But I assume we'll have to bring out the legendary pokémon from in here… and I would have no idea how to do that."

…

Casey tapped her chin. "Well… what kind of pokémon is it?"

"According to what was observed… it'd be safe to assume it's a Psychic Pokémon."

"_Perfect!_ That means Sabby here ca–"

Sabrina's **sigh** interrupted her suggestion. "…I can't."

She shrugged. "I sense nothing from the water. No thought or emotion… other than a few Water Pokémon. Nothing else."

"Great." Casey threw a rock into the lake. "Dead end… Maybe we should've asked N more questions?"

"We should've asked the Leanne woman more questions as well." Domino mentioned. She played with the device attached to her hip.

"Weren't you the one that asked her if she didn't have anything else to tell us about this mission?"

"I did. But I assumed it would've been far more obvious by the time we reached the lake…"

The baseball fan laughed. "What? Did you think it was just going to light up and we would've been told everything?"

Domino looked away in embarrassment. "It could've happened. It's not a dumb idea… compared to what else you've faced in this adventure of yours."

"Yeah, I guess."

…

…

"You wouldn't happen to have any answers?" Sabrina looked towards Casey in curiosity.

"_Er…" _She shifted her posture uncomfortably. _Why is she looking at me like that?__ "_…maybe if we shock the water?"

"No. I did not mean for a suggestion. _**I meant an answer.**_" The Psychic's face turned serious.

"…I don't really know what that means."

"_**I believe you do. You know that I don't know the answer. And you're making sure I never find out.**_"

_Wh-What? What's with her?_

Casey inched away in slight _fear_. _"I-Is something up, Sabby? You're acting funn-"_ She bumped into something.

Looking behind, she flinched at the sight of Domino.

_H-How did she get behind me?_ "_Er…_ can I help you?"

"Can you?" The former Rocket Agent raised a brow. "We know you know something."

"…I s-seriously have no idea what you two are talking about."

"I know you don't." Sabrina leaned quickly towards Casey, placing her hand onto her forehead. _**"But someone inside you does."**_

…

The young woman's consciousness and eyes turned blank as the Psychic's power _overwhelmed_ her.

_Thank you for your assistance, Domino._

_Call me Dominique. I'm tired of that name…_ Domino nodded and walked off. _I'll leave you to your work._

…

**Breathing in**, Sabrina _relaxed _her body and thoughts.

**Exhaling**, she _released_ herself into Casey's subconscious.

…

_**Come out… I know you're in there.**_

…

_**I felt you reading my mind since we first entered the train station. I know I was not mistaken.**_

…

_**Barricade yourself from me as much as you want. You cannot keep me out.**_

Sabrina twitched, sending a _surge_ of _Empathy_ through her arms.

Casey's body convulsed in reaction.

_**COME OUT.**_

Like a wave crashing against rocks, Sabrina's mental and emotional energy _shattered_ against a solid _wall of power_. _**What! **__What is this…_

The_ wall_ curved in, surrounding the Empathic Psychic's conscious power.

_**A MENTAL TRAP!**_

Sabrina _backed her energy away_ as fast as she could, only to find it _trapped _against another wall. _No…_

The barriers _closed in_ quickly, giving her no time to find an alternate exit. _**NO!**_

Her heart and mind _panicked_ as they knew the consequences of being captured in the _trap_.

A voice echoed around her in protection, _Breathe slowly, Sabrina…_

_Shocked _by the voice, the walls _retreated_ immediately.

The Psychic smirked. _**Fear is quite the weakness.**_

She _speared forward_ with her thoughts and caught the escaping power with a _spinning net_ of focused emotion. The opposing energy _struggled _to break free.

_**Now you're the one trapped.**__ How does it feel?_

Portions of itself that weren't yet bound _exploded_ into a _whirlpool of force_.

_**You cannot intimidate me. REVEAL YOURSELF.**_

She wrapped her _Empathy tighter_ around the power and_ tore it_ from its control.

A blast of cold fury _**roared out**_.

"_**AH!"**_ Sabrina was forced out of the mind. She stumbled back a few steps and strained her eyes into a threatening glare.

Casey's eyes glared back.

"_You're quite powerful…"_ a voice Sabrina barely recognized hissed from the girl's lips.

She didn't allow it any advantages by showing surprise. "…who are you?"

"_You already know. Now you must answer me something."_

Sabrina straightened her posture. "If I already know, then you did not answer me. What would you offer for my answer?"

"_I shall answer a question for you."_

…

"Fair enough." Sabrina nodded. "The answer to your question is no… It was not Sato that protected me."

Casey's eyes looked away. _"…but the voice…"_

"Ash's. A reincarnation of Sato."

"_Reincarnation…?"_ The young woman stared into her Sabrina's eyes in curiosity.

…

…

"_Let me hear it again."_

"That was not part of the deal."

…

…

"_Very well, you may ask your question."_

Sabrina approached her. "Why do you hide? How long have you stayed hidden inside her?"

"_Those are two questions."_

"And I shall let you ask one more question."

Casey's eyes lit up. _"I hide to watch safely. I know not of this world or its alliances. I know not who to trust. And I have no real sense of measurement in this realm… so I do not know how long I have been hidden. I do not even remember becoming conscious."_

The baseball fan frowned._ "Now answer me… why is Sato's voice in you?"_

"I created a bond with Ash. Though his body is currently vacant, a portion of his heart and mind finds sanctuary in me. In return he gives his support and protection."

"…_a bond…"_

Emotions of _nostalgia _and _pain _filled inside Casey's mind.

"…can you assist us, Quinn?"

"…_you need me to call Uxie here… yes?"_

Sabrina nodded.

'_Quinn'_ frowned. _"…if I do, you must heed my words."_

…

"Very well. What warning do you carry?"

Casey's unconscious body walked towards the water's edge.

Her sad eyes gazed into the night sky.

"…_becoming me will not fulfill your wishes."_

* * *

><p>"I never expected to there to be a building hidden underneath the lake."<p>

"_It is not within the lake. This is Uxie's world. The lake is simply a gateway to its world."_

"Thank you for letting us into your home."

The legendary lake guardian nodded towards the Psychic's bow. _"Uxie…"_

Surrounded by metallic yellow lattices and marble white pillars, the three guests stood in quiet respect. Glass walls formed by hundreds, if not thousands, of interlacing pyramids sheltered them from a never-ending void of white.

Inspecting their environment, Dominique noticed there was a lack of anything else. No doors. No objects. No comforts. "Rather barren for a world."

"_It's simply an illusion."_ Casey responded, her voice still not her own. _"Nothing exists in this world, only thought. And thought takes shape."_

"Thought, you say?" Dominique grinned. "Let's try something…"

…

"You won't succeed." Sabrina sighed. "This world is Uxie's, not ours. We have no power here."

The former Rocket Agent grunted in disappointment. "_That's a shame…_ So, Casey, how do you know Uxie?"

"…_Casey?"_ The girl shook her head. _"That is not my name. She does not know Uxie. I do."_

"She's Quinn." Sabrina reminded.

"I know who she is. But as far as I'm concerned, she's using Casey's body – so it's only natural to call her by that name."

"_I am not using this body… I am… trapped, here."_

"Trapped?"

"…_it does not feel like my own body. And I am not here of my choice. I do not remember how I got in here."_

"Wait." Dominique folded her arms and frowned. "Do you even know that you died?"

Casey's eyes widened. _**"DIED?"**_

In a panic, the girl ran up to Uxie and grabbed it by the head. _**"UXIE! REVEAL TO ME WHAT HAS OCCURRED!"**_

"_Uxie…"_

The Knowledge Pokémon nodded. A flash of white energy swallowed Casey's body.

"**QUINN!"** Sabrina reached out into thin air. The girl had vanished.

…

"I suppose she didn't technically die." Dominique shrugged. "Poor choice of words. _Silly me._"

The Psychic was ready to lash out at the young woman… though she felt a strange disconnection.

"Wh…what?"

"_Your powers will not work here…"_ a disembodied whisper hovered in the air around them.

"**Who's there."** Sabrina reached for her poké balls… only to find that those had disappeared as well.

Uxie drifted towards them. _"I choose what can and cannot exist in my realm… do not worry for your friends, they are safe."_

"That thing can speak?" Dominique stiffened. "…and friends?"

She felt around her hip. **"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY DICE?"**

"_He is safe. I will return your friends once you are ready to leave my home."_ Uxie softly landed to a sit. _"I simply cannot risk any of you harming my world. It is a fragile thing."_

"Where did you take Quinn?" Sabrina asked with narrowed eyes.

"_I only took her where she wished to be… I myself do not know where that is. The mind often wanders to places others can never follow…"_

"And what of us? What are we supposed to do here?"

"_I will take you where your mind knows, but you do not…_"

"What does that mea–" Dominique disappeared in a flash of white.

Sabrina took a deep breath in and closed her eyes… prepared to face whatever challenges faced her.

A soft feeling of wistfulness overtook her.

…

* * *

><p>…<p>

"_Quinn."_

…

"Hey Quinn!"

"Wha-What?"

Sabrina opened her eyes.

Bright sun. Leaves falling slowly to the grass below. A large canyon decorating the landscape.

…and a man with a familiar face.

"…Ash?"

"Huh? _Ash_?" The man tilted his head. "Are you having those visions again, Quinn?"

"_Quinn?"_ Sabrina looked down. A uniform of black and gold covered her chest and legs. Rotating her wrist, she noticed her nails were painted gold as well. "_…I'm Quinn…"_

"Yeah, you're definitely having those visions again." The man patted her on the shoulder. "Tell Uxie to cool it on the prophecy stuff. I'll make sure it doesn't happen."

Tilting her head up, she gazed into the man's eyes. _"Then you must be Sato."_

He flinched. "_**S-Sato?**_ I think that's the first time you actually called me by my name! Usually it's just _'Aura Guardian'_ or _'Aura'_… you feelin' okay, Quinny?"

Sabrina blushed at the nickname, though she wasn't sure why. "**Qu-Quinny**?" She sent a _psychic jab_ at him. "Don't you **ever **call me that!"

Sato laughed playfully as he _pushed_ the mental attack away with a _touch _of Aura.

"What did you wake me for?" she huffed as she adjusted her hair and clothes back to perfection.

"You told me you had to leave in an hour." He shrugged. "And I've been waking you up every five minutes since that hour has passed… you're about ten minutes late."

Quinn looked away, depressed. _"I don't really want to go back…"_

"But you said this one's a big meeting."

"…_I'll make up an excuse."_

"Not this again…" Sato slapped his hand to his forehead. "This is your third time this month!"

"They'll believe me if you just…"

"No no no **no no**. **No way**. I'm not doing that for you again."

"Just one! One small one!"

"Quinn, last time you made me hit you with an Aura Sphere – that mark stayed on you for a week!"

"I don't care. Just do it."

"You do care! Every day we ran into each other, you had a new color of make-up trying to cover it! You looked like you were growing a rash!"

"…I won't hide it this time, then."

He sighed in frustration. "You told me yourself that it was the most uncomfortable week you had. Told me it itched like crazy."

"…**hmph**." Quinn stood and walked to the edge of the cliff.

"**Wh-What in the world are you doing?"** Sato attempted to grab her arm, only to be _forced back_ by an invisible wave of power.

"I'm one of the top agents for Team Rapture, Aura. They don't believe anything can make us late for a mission briefing other than a critical physical injury, or if we end up running into you and your team."

"**So you're going to kill yourself?"**

She turned and raised her brow. "_**No. **_There's a ledge…"

Sato sighed in relief.

"…_halfway down."_

"**Quinn!** You can't be serious!" He tried to approach her, only to find his body _refusing_ to move. "Quinn. Don't do this."

"The organization's doctors are the best of the best. I can't fake an injury. It has to be real."

"Why are you even doing this?"

"_**I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!"**_

…

…

Quinn fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands._ "I don't want to go back… don't make me…"_

Freed from her control, Sato crouched down to her level. "Quinn…"

"_No._ I know what you're going to say."

"…you can come with us."

"You always say that."

His hand moved the hair from her eyes.

He placed his forehead softly against hers. "And I always mean it."

"…_Sato…"_ She turned away.

…

Wiping away her tears, Quinn stood. "I have to go now."

He frowned. "…you really don't have to go back if you don't want to."

She shook her head, knowing he was just forcing her to choose for herself. However, _necessities often outweigh the promises of a choice_. "If I stay, then I can't help you. Your team needs me."

"Can I at least tell them yet that you've been helping us?"

"You do and I'll kill you myself, Aura."

Sato stood and scratched at his head. "_Why?_ We've been doing this for _months_ now! They honestly have a right to know where I've been getting all this information from."

Quinn pointed to her forehead. "I can't protect all their minds from any Psychic Spies, Sato. It's only our bond that keeps you immune to them, remember?"

He sighed. "…when will I see you again?"

"We'll see each other on the battlefield."

"…_I meant as friends…"_

…

_Friends… is that all you see me as?_ "…when I have more information for you."

Quinn turned and walked towards her motorcycle.

"Be careful… I'll miss you up _here_." Sato pointed to his head.

"You too. I'll miss you _here_." She pointed towards the center of her chest.

The two smiled at their exchange. A gesture of their bond – childishly put, but seriously felt.

Hopping onto her prized vehicle, she let out a long sigh. "Go back to your team, Sato. They might get suspicious."

…

No answer. The man had already disappeared.

The world around her had disappeared.

And when she finally remembered her name, Sabrina found herself transported to an entirely new area.

"…_Sato."_ she whispered. Her emotions sank.

She placed her hand softly against her chest.

"I know you're still there."

The Psychic stared ahead, analyzing her surroundings. Walls and corners, paths and dead-ends. A labyrinth made of ancient rock.

Sensing inwards, she felt no traces of Psychic or Empathic energy within herself.

"…still handicapped. I will have to find the exit without them."

With a nod to her objective, Sabrina began her journey through the maze.

* * *

><p>"WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!"<p>

"**I will not allow you to leave."**

"ARE YOU INSANE? THE PLACE IS CRASHING DOWN!"

"**And if you go perish in it, then I will have accomplished my mission."**

Sato grit his teeth. "You realize you'd die too, right?"

"**My life belongs to Team Rapture. As long as it lives on, so will I."** Quinn adjusted to a battle stance.

A blast of _psychic energy_ spiraled towards Sato.

He altered its course with a flex of his _Aura_.

Three_ spears of dark purple_ flew towards his head.

"Hraa!" The Aura Guardian _shattered _the attack with a_ shield of blue_.

A second blast _**crashed**_ against the barrier, causing Sato to flinch.

"**Vulnerable."**

Sato's eyes widened, noticing the voice had come from behind.

Three kicks. Two for the back of the knees, a third to the back of his head as he crumpled to the floor.

His bodyslammed forward into the ground.

A finger pressed against his head. He could no longer move. _"Wh…what?"_

"**We've studied you, Aura Guardian… you're very effective with your powers."** Quinn sent an_ illusion of pain _to spread throughout his body.

He **screamed **out. Tears running down his eyes as his body shook in agony.

"…**however, that's the only thing you're effective with.**" The Rapture Agent flung her hair to the side. "**Without your precious lucario or teammates, you're quite weak.**"

Sato smirked. _"Vulnerable."_

Quinn's arm _stiffened_. **"…WH-WHAT?"**

She tried pulling her arm, only to find her entire body covered in a _mist of blue and white_.

Sato rolled over and grinned at her. "There's more than one way to use Aura, y'know."

"How did…" The Psychic's eyes narrowed. **"Tell me how I was not able to read your intention."**

"As far as I can tell…" The Aura Guardian **grunted** as he lifted her stiff body onto his shoulder. "I don't think you Psychics can read intentions. I think you can just read thoughts. And me? I don't really think things through."

She growled in irritation. **"…where are you taking me."**

"Out of here."

"**Put me down! I do not want your assistance!"**

Sato began limping towards the exit. "Well I want to give you my assistance! So cry me a river."

"**You fool! I'll just kill you once I break free from this! It doesn't matter what you do, I will keep hunting you! You're a sworn enemy of Team Rapture! Team Rapture wants you dead! I want you dead!"**

He laughed weakly in response. "_You sure?_ I don't think you really know what you want."

"**You dare tell me what I know and do not know?"** Quinn attempted to access her powers, only to find it unresponsive. **"Why… Why is it not working? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?"**

"Calm dow- _whoah!_"

The ground shook, toppling the two to the floor.

"_Ow… geez…"_ Sato crawled towards the Psychic. "I told you this place was dangerous…"

His hand touched her shoulder.

"**DON'T TOUCH ME! GET AWAY!"**

The Aura Guardian flinched. "What is wrong with you? I'm trying to help!"

"**WHY!"** Her eyes narrowed. "_Why… You know I'll kill you. _**I will!**"

…

Shaking his head, he lifted her back onto his shoulder. "Come on, just a little more until the exit… I promise I'll stop touching you once we get out of here."

"Stop it… **Stop this! I don't want your help!**"

…

"I saw you crying in front of the mirror, Quinn…"

"…_what?"_

"…you haven't asked once why I was here… by myself." Sato's eyes went dark. "_I came here to kill you, Quinn._"

Her eyes narrowed. She _struggled_ to find a way to break from his power.

He continued, "You think you're hunting me? I was hunting you, Quinn. _…after what you did to Pikachu… I thought I'd never forgive you._"

…

"…_but after seeing you cry… I knew you didn't mean it. You didn't want to do it. You were just following orders…"_

"**You don't know that. I did mean it. Pikachu was a threat to our mission. He had to be disposed of.**"

"You called him a _'he'_, not an _'it'_." Sato smiled. "You definitely didn't just see him as an objective…"

…

…

"…_I am… sorry."_ Quinn fought herself to say those three words. _"…no one should ever lose their best friend. Not like that."_

"And no one should follow orders they don't believe in."

Kicking the door, their exit swung wide open.

The night air welcomed them, causing Sato to shiver.

Stepping into the moonlight, he placed Quinn on the patch of grass that decorated the front of the facility.

With an exhale, he _released_ her from his control.

Quinn moved uncomfortably, staring at her hands and fingers as she flexed her muscles back into usefulness.

The door they had emerged from collapsed, as concrete and iron tore itself apart from one another.

Sato **whistled**. "Looks like we got out of there just in time."

"…_th-thank you, Aura Guardian…"_

"You can repay me by doing me a favor."

"…hm?"

"Leave Team Rapture."

Quinn's eyes widened. _"…wh-what?"_

"Leave Team Rapture." he repeated. "They're screwed up, Quinn. They're screwing you up. You don't seem like a bad girl, but they're trying to make you into one. Leave before you actually convince yourself that you are."

"…_but… Team Rapture is… it's my home… my family… who I am…"_

Sato scratched his head. "I don't know if you actually mean that or if they brainwashed you to believe that. But… there are better homes. Better families."

She looked away, feeling the most unsure she had ever felt in her life.

"…if you want. You can come with us…"

Her eyes looked up at him in confusion.

He gave a nervous smile. "It would take some negotiating, but I'm sure I can convince Farron and Ramie to letting you in."

…

Quinn stood and bowed towards him. "I thank you for the offer, Aura Guardian. But I cannot abandon my position. I may be of more harm to your team than help."

He gave no response, only eyes of concern.

"…but that doesn't mean I cannot help." She adjusted her hair and clothes back to perfection. "I can still give you information on anything you need."

Sato's face lit up. "_R-Really? _I have a thousand questions!"

"**Not now. Not here. And not for any of your questions.**" Quinn raised a finger and pointed at herself. "I will give you information **I believe** you'll need. I will give it to you **when I** feel like you need it. And for every detail I give you, you **must** do me a favor."

"…and that would be?"

"You must teach me."

"Teach you?"

Quinn nodded. "You say there's more than one way to use Aura. You used yours very creatively. Perhaps I can sharpen my Psychic abilities in the same manner."

Sato blushed. "_That's a real compliment._ Well… I accept!"

He held out his hand and grinned.

She eyed him with a frown. "_You said you wouldn't touch me after we reached the outside._"

"_And you said you'd kill me the instant I freed you._"

"_I can still do that._"

"_And I can still touch you. Which would you rather do?_"

…

"…very well." Quinn shook his hand unwillingly. "But don't you ever pick me up again."

"I won't if you won't try to kill me again."

"I can't make any promises."

"Then neither can I." He laughed.

With a second bow, Quinn released her grip and walked away.

She reached her motorcycle and pulled a key from her pocket.

"_Come on, Dice… let's get out of here._"

Twisting her wrist, the machine **roared** to life.

The roar shattered the world around her…

…

…

Dominique found herself standing in a small room.

"A memory of Quinn's?"

Surveying the room, she found a metal door, a wooden cabinet, a glass clock, and a plastic toolbox.

"…and what is this supposed to be? Her room?"

She approached the door and turned the knob. It jammed.

"…locked."

A yellow note on the side of the doorknob caught her eye.

Written in black marker, the number _"64" _and the letters _"far"_ were the only details found on the paper.

…

"Great. A puzzle room." Dominique sighed. _"I hate these things…"_


	41. Chapter 41 Women

"This place is beautiful!"

Solana excitedly ran off the docks and took a deep breath, letting the calming scent of the sea fill her lungs.

Ritchie followed soon after, pushing the 'unconscious' Ash in a wheelchair. "It sure is."

"I feel like we cheated. This has to be the best _'mission'_ out there." The Ranger giggled as she spun in place and took in the Island's scenery.

"We certainly can't complain." the male trainer agreed with a smile. "Though we should probably find the Resort Area. Don't want stay out here for too long."

"Hm?" Solana tilted her head. "Why's that?"

Finding a sign that pointed to their wanted destination, Ritchie moved towards a small pathway.

"Remember that this place is called Battle Island. People's main interest here is Pokémon Battles." He turned the wheelchair to avoid one of its wheels from catching against an inconveniently-placed trash can. "There are three areas here… the Battle Park, the Survival Area, and the Resort Area. The Resort Area is the only place here where no one looks for a fight."

The wheelchair got caught on an oddly-placed bench. Ritchie struggled to get it off.

Solana moved the bench aside and helped the male trainer to readjust the chair. "How do you know all these things about the island? I thought you said you've never been here."

"I haven't. I just read the brochure during the boat ride here."

The two continued their walk down the narrow passageway.

"_Ahh…_ so that's what you had your face buried in for half the trip!" She giggled. "And here I thought you didn't want to enjoy my company."

Ritchie blushed. He didn't want to admit that he had only given the pamphlets so much attention just so he could avoid her.

Throughout their entire adventure together, the Trainer had always found himself interested in the Pokémon Ranger Solana. From her looks, to her love of pokémon, to her mannerisms, voice, and habits – everything she did and was infatuated him. The idea of a date or even just spending time with her alone would be enough to make him blush and lose concentration completely. It was nothing more than a young man's dream…

But now she was here… alone with him. On their own little adventure together. With no one to interrupt anything that could happen between them.

And there was no doubt that something would happen. Solana was interested in him. There was no doubt in that – she wouldn't let him ignore it. Her extremely obvious hints and forward approaches were impossible to avoid.

But in his mind, Solana was still his senior. An older woman. Someone that he should not have ever had a chance with. Now that she was practically throwing herself on him, he had no idea what to do. He wasn't even sure if they were together yet – or if he had to say something to make it official. The thought drove him crazy and would only make him more nervous to be around her.

_What if I mess up? What if I say something she doesn't like? What if I'm imagining things and she's not interested at all? What if I'm just a stupid, little, perverted boy that's assuming way too much?_

Her arms wrapped around him from behind.

His face turned completely pink. _Wh-What's she doing?_

"_This place is gorgeous!"_ she gasped.

Ritchie looked up.

Surrounded by a sea of palm trees and accented by islands of small lakes and large pools, the Resort Area lay in front of them.

Only a few buildings decorated the area, showing off its exclusiveness. Though a single superstructure, painted in pure white, with a massive pink ribbon worn its front, towered above the rest.

"That building must be the Ribbon Syndicate." Ritchie pointed out. "According to the brochure, this place was reserved for Pokémon Coordinators."

"…_er… _we're not Pokémon Coordinators."

"…well, there _uh…_ has to be a hotel, maybe?"

…

Looking around, there were no signs of any sort of public accommodation.

"_Oh no…"_ Solana's shoulders dropped in depression.

Ritchie sighed. "Did Leanne just send us to a private resort that we can't even spend the night in?"

"Excuse me."

"_Hm?"_ The two turned to find a young male with green eyes and hair staring at them.

"Can we help you?" Ritchie asked. _…even though we're the ones that we need help right now…_

"I wanted to know… is that Ash Ketchum in that wheelchair?"

Solana's face lit up, though she felt a twinge of guilt for her thoughts. _Come on… please Ash, please please please let your popularity land us a free room!_ "Y-yes it is!"

Her face suddenly turned to dread. _No wait! What if he's part of Team Rocket? Oh no, what did I do?_

The young man's eyes narrowed. "What happened to him?"

"_Ah… er… _an accident. Nothing too troublesome." Ritchie answered nervously. "…and you are?"

With a simple nod, the young man introduced himself, "Drew. A friend of May's."

* * *

><p>"Thank you again for letting us stay at your villa." Solana bowed.<p>

"No problem." Drew turned, noticing the teal-haired woman stand uncomfortably in the middle of the room. "Make yourself at home."

"_A-ah_, thank you." The Ranger sat on the couch, still feeling awkward being inside an unknown person's home.

"So…" Ritchie lifted Ash from the wheelchair and carefully placed him on the other side of the couch. "…you said you're a friend of May's?"

Drew nodded. "A former rival of hers."

"Former?"

"She no longer competes in the same regions as me."

"Ah, I see." Ritchie continued to stand by the couch.

Solana patted the cushion next to her.

With a blush, the Trainer stiffly walked over and sat nervously on the spot suggested.

Drew grabbed a few water bottles from his fridge and handed it to his guests. "So what's your relation?"

"T-Traveling partners!" Ritchie blurted. "Dating." Solana answered instead.

The Pokémon Ranger gave a shy smile at the now burning-red male Trainer.

"Hm? You're dating Ash? I didn't think he had any interest in dating." The green-eyed Coordinator raised his brow.

"_H-huh?_ Oh **n-no**. I meant Ritchie and_ I are…_" Solana's voice trailed off.

"Mm. I see." He took a sip of water. "…my question, though, was referring to your relations with Ash. I'm wondering why you're carrying him around… especially to an area specifically for Coordinators. Considering that neither of you are Coordinators."

"Oh. Well, we're travelling partners." she clarified. "The three of us, that is."

Ritchie nodded slightly, gulping the water bottle to cool his earlier shock.

…

"That only answered half of my question." Drew sighed. "I'd like to at least know why you three are here before I let you stay here overnight."

"We're waiting for someone. A group of people, actually."

"…Ritchie, is it?"

"Yes?"

"What kind of group are you waiting for?"

"_Er…_"

"Is May in the group?"

"Yes, actually."

…

Drew stood and grabbed a nearby bag. "I'll be leaving for the season then."

"H-Huh?"

Tossing a key in his guests' direction, the Coordinator began to quickly take various items throughout the large room. "Please take care of the place. Don't keep the water running. If anyone comes asking for me, tell them to call me on my pokédev. And _**please**_ no roughhousing, I already had to pay a fortune to fix a hole last time I had someone stay over."

"Drew? Did we say something wrong? W-We can leave if you want! We can just camp outside."

"_No – no – no_. Stay. I **insist**. Give my regards to May, tell her I'm sorry – and please: Do **NOT** give her my number."

The green Coordinator slipped out the door and **slammed** it behind him.

…

…

…

Solana blinked. "Did we just get a free vacation home?"

"I think we did…" Ritchie scratched his head.

…

The two sat awkwardly in silence.

"…did you mean what you said?"

"…about us dating?"

Ritchie's face turned red again. _"…y-yeah."_

Solana sighed. "Look, Ritch… I'm not very good at this hide-and-seek game. Do you like me or not?"

She looked away, refusing to let him see her eyes. Worried that he might make a decision he wouldn't want if he noticed them… as well as to avoid making any irrational comments by seeing his expression. And despite her forwardness, the Ranger also felt a slight guilt for being so plain.

In her eyes, she wasn't very adventurous. She wasn't very daring. And she wasn't very spontaneous.

Her job as a Ranger made her unique and interesting, but she herself wasn't anything special. With her mind always on the objective, her personality seemed to be far too concerned about professionalism and duty.

This… little crush and interest she had for a younger man seemed foreign to her.

She didn't know how to interact with it – or how to deal with it. Her cute clothes and constant giggling were her attempts to be charming; though she worried she was trying far too hard.

"_I'm such a bore…"_ she whispered unknowingly.

"I… don't think you're a bore." Ritchie responded, to her surprise. "…I think you're very interesting. And fun to be with."

She laughed. "You don't have to flirt with me you know. You can just tell me you like me."

"I – I'm not flirting. I mean it."

**Sigh.** "Compared to the other girls on this team? They're going out there to remember a past life that directly affected the universe. And even without that, they each have so much character it's ridiculous to think none of them are already taken. Only thing I have going for me is my title as a Pokémon Ranger…"

Solana shrugged and leaned back against the couch. "I don't have any amazing adventures like the other Rangers have every week, and the only ones I can brag about are missions I've gotten involved in because of Ash and his friends."

Counting with her fingers, she began to list even more items of non-interest, "I'm not really athletically talented. I'm not a genius. I'm not hypersensitive to people's emotions. I don't know any good trivia. I'm not very witty when it comes to jokes. I can't even cook that great. And I don't even know any good hole-in-the-wall restaurants… what else?"

"You know a lot of things about poké balls! And Pokémon Centers, and Training Methods, and Poké Marts that I bet no one else knew!" Ritchie answered with a blush. "You know things that are important. And you care about pokémon a lot… you're always looking after them even if no one asked. And you've saved so many of them in your work! And how you wear your hair's really… cute. And so are your clothes."

She shyly adjusted her hair. "I was just trying to be interesting… I'm not normally dressed like this."

"And the way you keep your back straight when others are looking! But when they don't, you hunch it over and look really tired until they look at you again!"

"Y-You see that?" Solana's face turned pink. "_A-Ahh!_ I look like such a slob!"

"An-And before you get on the back of a flying pokémon, you always press your finger and thumb together tightly!"

"H-How do you know that?"

"And when you really like something, you always lean on your left side more! And sometimes you try to wear your hair like the other girls you see! And o-one time you tried doing a cartwheel when no one was around and you kept falling flat on your face!"

Solana covered her face in total embarrassment. _"H-How do you know all this stuff? WHY do you know this stuff? That's not interesting! That's weird and pathetic!"_

"I… I think it's very charming." Ritchie stiffened, trying to gather all his courage to say his next words, "An-And… I r-really like you, Solana! **W-Would you go out with me!**"

…

…

"_I may not be good at this romantic stuff, Ritchie… but I don't think you're supposed to ask a girl out after you name all her weird habits."_ Her face was still covered, and her tone was quieter than usual.

"I th-think you're very beautiful."

"_Don't say that. Those traits are really embarrassing."_

"It… shows you have a lot of character. That…_ maybe you're hiding someone underneath all that. _Like you're always trying to be professional… but I think that person underneath is really interesting. _And I…_ I want to get to know her more."

"…_you really want to get to know the weird girl underneath all this?"_

"Y-Yes."

"_The weird girl that used to collect stamps and rocks?"_ she groaned.

"I think that's really cool…"

"_No it's not. It's really lame."_

"I used to collect stickers."

"_Every kid collected stickers."_

"…I only stopped last year."

…

"**AHAHAHAAHAHAHAAAAHAAHAHAHAHA!"** Solana burst out laughing, unable to hold the straight face and somber attitude she really wanted to keep.

Ritchie looked down in shame. His cheeks rosy like a pikachu's.

Wiping away her humored tears, the Ranger did her best to calm herself. "I – I'm sorry! B-but that's just **really** cute!"

The Trainer buried his head into his arms, regretting his confession and wishing to die.

She wrapped her arms around him. "_Awww_, don't feel bad. I think it's really adorable and charming!"

"_You're just saying that…"_ he whimpered from his hiding spot.

Solana pulled his head away from his arms and kissed his forehead.

Ritchie's red face switched meanings entirely.

"I'd love to go out with you, Ritch." She winked. "I think you're a really great guy."

"…r-really?"

"Really really. And you know what?"

"…what?"

"I'd love to see your sticker collection sometime."

"…only if you show me your stamp collection."

The two smiled at each other shyly.

…

"…you know, it'd be awkward if Ash was actually conscious for all this." Ritchie joked.

She snickered. "Why? You planning on doing something with me?"

His face lit bright red.

"I'm just teasing. You can't have any yet." Solana gave a mischievous smile.

The _'yet'_ made him nearly faint.

"Calm down, sticker-boy. I'm only joking!"

**Sigh.** Ritchie frowned with conflicting emotions. _She's going to drive me crazy…_

* * *

><p>"Did I tell you or did I tell you?"<p>

"You did. You sure did."

Todd and Gary **cheered **glasses as they leaned back against the recliners.

"Do we seriously have time for this? It's almost afternoon!" Tracey placed his hands to his hips.

"Exactly. If afternoon's coming up, then we have to stay." Todd tilted his sunglasses and allowed his eyes to follow a woman in a yellow bikini. "…afternoon is when kids get involved. We have to get as much of the good sights in before the tourists ruin the view."

Gary nodded as if the photographer had given words of wisdom.

The sketch-artist sighed. "There's not even any room in the pool to swim… and all the other recliners are taken…"

"Isn't it great? You've got your baked goods and your wet goods."

"Todd, my man, we have to visit each other more often."

The two **cheered** glasses again.

"_I meant I don't have anywhere to relax."_ Tracey grumbled. "I think I'll just head back to the room."

"Suit yourself. You can order whatever room service or movie you want. It's on me." Gary carelessly tossed his shoulder bag towards him. "And could you answer whatever calls I get? I'm expecting some."

"Answer your calls? What if I don't know them?"

"Nah. They're just members from Alpha and Beta. They just want a status update."

"…status update? What do you want me to tell them?"

"The truth? Something made-up? I dunno. I trust ya' ta' make the right choice."

…

Tracey lifted the bag and shook his head. "_Fine…_ I'll see you two later then."

They casually waved in unison.

With a sigh, the sketch-artist left the pool area and disappeared into the elevator lobby.

...

"_You don't think he's…?"_

Gary shrugged. "I wouldn't know. And I wouldn't care as long as he's not barking up my tree."

…

The two sat in silence.

Sounds of water splashes, female voices, giggles, and glass drinks filled the void.

…

…

"What's your thoughts on this whole thing?" Todd frowned.

"The mission?"

"Yeah. You practically baited me into going on this trip, and Tracey's doing it because he's being all goody two-shoes. But why are you doing this?"

Gary scratched as his head, ensuring to flex slightly as a tan woman glanced his way. "If you had a reoccurring nightmare every night, wouldn't you want to do something to stop it?"

"_Nightmare?_ What kind?"

"Every night I have the same dream… with Sato, Ramie, Maya, and Leanne there. Then I have to go in this tunnel. Dark tunnel. I get lost. Something's chasing me. Something _huge_… and it catches me."

"That doesn't sound good."

"…I don't remember much after that. Sometimes small glimpses of what happened next – but I never remember it. I just remember the large thing… _huge… dark… so many legs…_"

"You think it's a pokémon?"

"Not like any pokémon I've seen before."

"…and remembering who you are as Farron will get rid of this dream?"

"Maybe. But I'm not aiming for that. I'm aiming for our destination."

Todd lowered his sunglasses and winked at a woman staring at him from the pool. "…what do you mean?"

"Sendoff Spring. It feels like that's where the dream occurred."

"_Hmm…_ then we could be facing something colossal there?"

"Probably. But if it's from a past universe, I doubt it's still there."

"We'll see then?"

"Definitely."

…

…

"Are you_** seeing**_ that girl by the hot tub?"

"I have _**been**_ seeing her, my friend. And she has been seeing _**me**_." Gary lowered his sunglasses.

"No way."

"I can get 'er."

"Bet our next meal you can't."

The Pokémon Researcher slipped off his recliner and cracked his neck. "Watch and learn."

* * *

><p>"<em>WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GIRL-WATCHING?"<em>

"Er… uh… I don't know what to tell you."

"_TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW! I'M GOING TO WRING HIS NECK!"_

"Th-The Lumineon Hotel… ne-near Veilstone City."

"_I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"_

…

"_Sorry about that, Tracey."_

"No problem, Duplica." The sketch-artist laughed nervously. "Is Iris normally like that?"

The copycat giggled as her figure shook within the pokédev's screen. _"Not really. I don't think anyone ever told her how much a flirt Gary could get."_

"Do I have anything to worry about?"

"_Gary does. You're fine."_

"So how are you guys holding up over there?"

"_Bored. We thought we could find traces of Team Rocket back at the places you guys visited before. But nope…"_ Duplica shook her head. _"…nothing."_

"Looks like Lance wasn't kidding when he said they disappear completely when they get caught."

"_Oh-ho-ho, speaking of Lance: he is furious at you guys!"_

Tracey stiffened. "Y-You talked to Lance?"

"_Of course! He's one of our main contacts."_ She tilted her head. _"Why? Are we not supposed to?"_

"You didn't tell him anything important, did you?"

"_Define important."_

"…like what we're doing."

Duplica shrugged. _"How could I tell him that if you haven't even told me what you guys are doing yet?"_

…

"…then can you keep a secret?"

She leaned in eagerly…

…but so did two extra figures that appeared from the side.

**Sigh.** "Can all of you keep a secret?"

Duplica, Cilan, and Greta nodded simultaneously.

Tracey smiled, glad that someone finally wanted to hear what he had to say next.

"I'll start from the beginning…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>I want to be the very best~ Like no one ever was~ <strong>_

"…what in the world is that?" Solana looked around in confusion.

_**To catch them is my real test~ To train them is my cause~ **_

"I think it's a ringtone." Ritchie pulled at his pockets. "It definitely isn't mine."

"That certainly isn't my ringtone." The Ranger raised her brow.

_**-avel across the land~ Searching far and wide~ **_

"…it's coming from Ash's pocket?" The Trainer turned and pulled out a red pokédev. "Weird. I didn't know anyone ever called him."

"Who is it?"

"Says _'Unknown'._"

"Do we answer it?"

Ritchie shrugged and pressed the _Answer_-button.

"_See! I told you calling his phone would work!"_ A large brown eye took over most of the screen.

"_Er…_ who is this?"

Backing away, the eye revealed to be the theatre copycat's. _"Hey Ritchie! Is Solana there with you, too?"_

Tilting her head in, the Ranger peeked into the screen. "Oh! Hi Duplica!"

"_Right… that's her name."_ Ritchie admitted quietly.

Duplica gave a dirty smirk. _"And what have you two been doing together?"_

"…h-huh?"

Solana followed the girl's eyes, realizing she was looking at their chests.

…

"O-**Oh!**" She quickly grabbed the pokédev and aimed it down. "S-See! We're wearing swimsuits! W-We just went out for a swim!"

It took Ritchie a few seconds to fully realize what Duplica's side of the view might've looked like. The realization made his cheeks turn hot. _"Eheh… let me go put on a shirt."_ He shuffled away in embarrassment.

Tilting the screen back up, Solana gave a nervous laugh. "Y-Yeah… just swimming."

"_Alright, alright. So anyways…"_ Duplica looked around suspiciously. _"I heard from a certain male artist the whole story of what's been going on."_

Solana slapped her face into her palm. "_Are you serious?_ Tracey spilled the beans?"

"_Don't worry – don't worry, it's a secret. No one else is going to hear about it outside our little group."_

"Group?"

Cilan and Greta appeared from the side with a grin and wave.

**Sigh…** "…so what did you want to call us for?"

"_We want to know if all this is the real deal!"_ Her eyes lit up. _"So much drama! Action! Suspense! Magic, mystery, and intrigue! I could make a play out of this!"_

"…yes. Yes it's real. All real."

Greta pulled the screen towards her face._ "THAT'S AMAZING! OSU! I'M PUMPED! TELL US HOW WE CAN HELP!"_

"Help?"

Duplica wrestled the pokédev back to facing her. _"Yeah! You think we're just going to sit around and do nothing?"_

Ritchie popped back in. "_Wait… _why are you guys all together?"

Solana's eyes widened. "Yeah! Why **ARE** you guys all together? Weren't you all supposed to go back home?"

"_And let you guys keep a secret that big without ever telling us? No way!" _The copycat shook her head. _"We stayed in Kanto. Trying to find any traces of Team Rocket. Clean-up work."_

"Any luck?"

"_No way. They just up and disappeared. No trace whatsoever."_

"Weird…"

"_So tell us how we can help your side! Because we're not getting any bites on our end! Maybe tell us your address and we'll go help protect Ash!"_

Solana leaned away from the screen, mouthing _"NO" _silently at Ritchie.

"…_er… n_-no, it's okay. We're good on our end." Ritchie scratched his head. "But if you can keep an eye out for Team Rocket, that'd be great. I heard they started increasing their activities in Johto and Hoenn."

"_REALLY?"_ Duplica ran her fingers through her hair. _"We've been looking in the wrong area this entire time! Shoot!"_

"Y-Yeah. We could use a bit of help in that."

"_You guys heard that right?"_ She moved off-screen. _"Get your stuff ready and contact Liza."_

"Liza's with you?" Solana placed her chin on Ritchie's shoulder.

"_Yeah."_ Duplica reappeared. _"She's been flying us around. But anyways, we're leaving right now. So I'll call you guys later if we find anything! And keep us in contact if anything happens on your end!"_

Without a goodbye, the screen flickered black and returned to the menu screen.

Ritchie closed the pokédev and placed it back into Ash's pocket.

…

"Did you just completely lie to Duplica?" Solana shoved the male Trainer playfully. "**You naughty boy!** They're going to be on a wild goose chase!"

His face turned pink. "Y-You told me to tell her _'no'_! If I just said _'no'_, she would've come anyways. I needed to come up with something."

The Ranger smiled with a soft blush. _"I just didn't want any distractions…"_

"Distractions?"

She sat on the couch and pointed at Ash with her eyes. "You saw yourself what having a large group did to Ash."

"…killed him?"

"**N-No!** W-Well _yes_… but I meant, you know, he got distracted. Too many people got in the way."

"…what would we be distracted from? We only have one job."

Solana winked at him. _"Is it bad that I want to keep you to myself?"_

His face turned red. _"…n-no…"_

"Then no distractions it is! _…except for TV._ Let's see what's on TV!" She patted the cushion next to her. "Bring the remote, _please~_!"

"Yes, dear." he nodded with a snicker.

"Careful with those words. You might give me ideas."

* * *

><p>…<p>

"Sorry darling, we'll have to postpone our dinner for another time." Gary faced and winked towards the woman wrapped in his arm. "I'll call ya'."

"_Hmph._ I won't wait." She turned away with a look of disinterest and walked down the hallway.

…

When she finally disappeared from view, Gary returned his attention to the man in the doorway. "Tell me you didn't just say what I thought you said."

"…_s-sorry_, I just panicked."

**Slam.** The Researcher pressed his head against the wall. "Tracey! _I swear!_ Now we have to leave!"

"_What?_ No way!" Todd frowned in irritation. "There's the boxing match tonight! I thought we were going to watch it at the restaurant!"

"We_** were**_." Gary stressed the last word. "But thanks to Tracey here, we're going to be killed if we don't get out of here_ right now_."

"_Er…_ I'm sorry?" Tracey laughed nervously. "But aren't you overreacting? It's just Iris."

"**Look, Sketchit.** I made her the leader of Beta team for a reason. She's tough, effective, and downright **crazy** if you get in her way."

"Why's she even angry?" the photographer sighed as he leaned against the doorway. "You two in a relationship or something?"

"_She thinks we are."_ Gary grumbled. "I just went along with it since I needed her as my second-in-command."

Todd laughed. "A wise woman once said _'be careful what you do, 'cause the lie becomes the truth'_."

"Did you seriously just quote that?"

"Hey, it fits. Anyways, I didn't think a Trainer of your caliber would be afraid of a little girl."

"I'm not afraid of her_ pokémon_. I'm afraid of _her_." Gary pulled his head away from the wall and shoved Tracey aside. "Seriously. Pack your bags. We're taking Route 214D. Taxi."

"But you said we could take the scenic route!"

"I said that before I had a psycho girl chasing me down like a tauros. Now pack your bags or I'm using you as bait."

"Is she really that scary?" Todd raised his brow in disbelief.

"Yes." The Researcher answered with no care for explanation. His focus was on gathering items within the hotel room.

…

"_Alright alright._" The photographer bumped Tracey out of his way. "And here I thought this trip would be fun."

"Really sorry about this, guys." The sketch-artist bowed apologetically.

Gary snapped his fingers rapidly. "Hurry, hurry. Less bowing, more packing."


	42. Chapter 42 The Bond

"…_I've been here."_

Sabrina sighed as she plucked the strand of hair she had left in a familiar wall crack.

"_I've tried every path… and they all lead back here or to a dead end."_ she whispered to herself.

…

"_Where should I go? Where is there to go?"_

The Psychic continued to ask herself questions, though they weren't for herself.

With every corner and dead end she faced, she planned ahead for what to expect – and for every plan, she sought guidance. Though her powers of Psychic and Empathy were missing within herself, she knew that someone still looked after her. No reality or memory could break the bond she had made with Ash, even if his voice was silenced.

"_I've already been there…"_ She frowned.

His answers were instinctual, as if they were her own intuition. Faint, unclear, and nearly impossible to differentiate from her own assumptions – but Sabrina knew they were his. She knew it beyond a doubt.

And though he was just as lost as she was, it was his company that she wanted most.

Without her Psychic powers, she felt vulnerable. Being in an unfamiliar land, she felt alone. Becoming lost in the maze, she felt panicked and anxious. Ash was the only sure thing she had in this world. His usefulness was not what she needed… as long as he was with her, she knew she was safe.

"…_Quinn?"_

Her bond attempted to help her. Passing thoughts of _Quinn _filled her mind.

"_I've already considered the possibility that this maze was based on the memory I was given. But there seems to be no pattern that matches it."_

…

"…_not the memory? But Quinn? I am unsure what that means…"_

Familiar emotions filled her. The _indifference_ she felt towards Dominique… The _curiosity_ she felt towards Casey…

"…_you believe I can solve this if I act more like the other pieces of Quinn?"_

Sabrina stared at her surroundings. _"…more like the other pieces of Quinn… I am not fully familiar with them."_

She considered her time spent within the endless maze. Her meticulous plans and constant backtracking were done with obvious knowledge. The maze had to be solved, one should never lose track of where they've been, and every passageway could be a trap. To run ahead and simply ignore what obstacles may be faced would have spelled doom for any traveler in this world.

"…_but I've already searched every pathway. If there is no way out, then what help would thinking as the Agent or the girl d-…" _The Psychic's eyes widened. _"…the girl. Casey. Common sense of Quinn."_

Sabrina sat on the floor and surrounded herself in thought.

"_If there is no correct path… then where would be the next path to consider?"_

She placed her palms to the ground and stretched her back. Her eyes facing upwards mid-stretch, Sabrina noticed the top of the maze's walls… no ceiling.

"_Could it really have been that simple?"_

A feeling of _excitement _sparked inside. _"I don't know if that was you, Ash… but if it was: I'm excited too."_ She grinned.

Sabrina leapt to her feet and ran towards the wall.

"**Hah!** … _Ah!_ … **Huhf!** _**Tah!**_"

…

She sighed in disappointment. _"I can't reach the top of the wall… I'm not very athletic without my Psychic abilities."_

A brief thought of _Dominique_ poked at her subconscious.

"…_I'm not like Dominique. I haven't trained like her."_

The _same thought_ haunted her.

"…_what do you expect me to do? Just grow muscles and do kick-jump up the wall?"_

And again, the _thought _passed her.

Sabrina straightened her back and rolled her shoulders. _"If I break something because of this, you're at fault."_

Taking several steps back, she studied the height of the wall and pondered the best approach.

Her plans began to _fade_ from her mind._ "Wh-What?"_

…

She finally understood.

_No thought. Just do it._

**Inhale**. **Exhale**.

Sabrina kicked forward into a sprint. One stride away from the wall, she landed hard on the front of her strong foot and tensed her leg muscles as she bent her body and knees downwards. Flexing and uncoiling herself, Sabrina leapt upwards.

Strong hand and arm over wall. Grab. Weak foot to wall. Relax body for millisecond. Re-flex, press off weak foot, shift weight and swing hips sideways. Land ankles, tense lower leg and foot, and lift hip.

Rolling onto her back, Sabrina successfully made it over the wall.

Her eyes wide and an ecstatic smile across her face, she released a heavy breath of surprised jubilation.

"_**I DID IT! I DID IT!"**_ She laughed in disbelief. _**"DID YOU SEE THAT, ASH? I DID IT!"**_

She hugged the wall's top platform in happiness.

**Kreeeeeekekek…**

"Hm?" The Psychic raised her head. A door lay in front of her.

"…_a door?"_ She tilted her head, realizing that the door was just a door. It led to nowhere. It stood by itself, with no wall or passageway or staircase to follow it. _"…why would they place a door up here?"_

Shaking her head, Sabrina smiled. "Intelligence. Confidence. And Common Sense. There is nothing to fear. Only something to face." Her hand wrapped around the doorknob and turned it… a bright light burst from the doorway and engulfed the world around her.

* * *

><p>"<strong>I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"<strong> Dominique **kicked **the door once again. The hollow _**echo **_spread throughout the empty room.

She fell to her side and growled in frustration.

"_I hate puzzle rooms so much…"_

Closing her eyes, the former Rocket Agent considered everything she had solved.

_So first there was the key on the cabinet… it was broken into three pieces, but only two were placed obviously on the top. The third was hidden as an odd ornament embedded into the wood… that was used to unlock the toolbox's hidden compartment… which I only found out after realizing the toolbox had something inside it even though it was empty. _

_There was a roll of paper sticking off the bottom-corner of the toolbox… pulling it out and unrolling it; I found that there was only gibberish written on it. But what was important was the hole it was pulled out of, which was in the shape of a keyhole._

_Unlocking it, I found another piece of paper inside the toolbox… it was a ripped page from an origami book, one for a star. After making a star, I found its tips were sharp yet durable – which was used to unscrew the screw that kept the cabinet's drawer jammed… and all that was in there were a lighter and a duster spray. _

_I haven't figured out what the spray's for, but I found that the lighter was supposed to be for the doorknob… And I only know that because of the yellow note that said "64 far"… meaning it needed to be sixty-four degrees. _

_And I only figured that after finding out that the glass clock wasn't a clock, but a thermometer. But the thermometer's busted because it's rising way too slow when I press it against the heated doorknob! _

_And now all I've got left is a duster spray and a piece of paper… and maybe they're for fixing the thermometer, but I seriously have no idea how to do that!_

**Sigh.**_ "…I was never good with puzzles."_ Dominique groaned as she rolled onto her stomach. Unrolling the piece of paper she had found in the toolbox's keyhole, she read the unknown symbols aloud, in an attempt to understand it. "_X-Nine over a picture of a hand, with thirty-two dots on the right_… If it's asking me to open up the thermometer and telling me how to fix it, I'm going to kill it. I don't know what an _X-Nine_ is! And what are these dots supposed to be?"

…

She** kicked** at the wall. _**"SOMEONE LET ME OUT OF HERE!"**_

…

…

"_X-Nine… over a hand… thirty-two dots…" _she mumbled to herself, hoping to figure it out by simply saying it. _"X-Nine… hand… thirty-two… maybe it just has to do with the numbers… nine… thirty-two…"_

Dominique glanced at her hand. _"…five."_

…

"_**FIVE!"**_ Her eyes widened. "X-Nine over five! Thirty-two!"

Elated, Dominique rolled to her feet and ran in a circle. **"YOU'RE A GENIUS, DOMINATE!"** she howled in victory.

Slapping the paper flat against the cabinet and licking her lips, Dominique exclaimed her answer, **"Multiply by nine! Divide by five! And add thirty-two! That's the equation for converting Celsius to Farenheit! The thermometer's not broken! It's just reading by Celsius!"**

Snatching the large thermometer from the floor, she pinned it against the doorknob and stared at the rising dial. "_…twenty-four _degrees Celsius! Average room temperature. Which makes it around seventy degrees Fahrenheit… that means we need to **LOWER** the temperature, not make it rise!"

Dominique's eyes quickly shifted to the duster spray. _**"AHA!"**_

She grabbed it and tilted it upside-down. "These things spray freezing liquids when you turn them this way. Now… _let's see…_"

Calculating a general answer in her head, the former Rocket Agent smirked in pride. "…we need to get this around eighteen degrees then."

With a few **spits** of the duster, the doorknob cooled to its intended temperature.

She immediately grabbed it and twisted.

**K-CHNK.**

The door unlocked.

"**YES! I'M FREE!"** Swinging the exit wide, Dominique found a void of white occupying the other side. _"Wh-What the-?"_

In an instant, the room was drowned in white light.

* * *

><p>A third <strong>explosion<strong> sent a massive shockwave through the forest.

Panic and fear spread.

In the sky above, bird pokémon flew from the trees, helicopters fought to regain control, and debris shot away from the shattered buildings.

On the grounds below, uniformed men and women fled on foot, trucks and motorcycles roared to full acceleration, and the foundation **split **from the tremendous power.

Staring down at the control console, a woman of burning red eyes apathetically readied the next set of overload commands.

"**QUINN!"**

…

Pulling her hands away from the switches and flashing studs, the Psychic Quinn faced the man she had done all this for. _"…Aura."_

"**Why are you doing this Quinn?"** The metal walkway he stood on began to bend and tear. The Aura Guardian limped quickly forward and fell onto the platform the woman occupied. **"This was our only chance to break away the control from Arceus!"**

"…_I'm doing my job."_ Her voice was cold, dark, and uncaring. _"Team Rapture requires that this facility be destroyed… and I destroyed it."_

Sato stared up at her with confused eyes. Anger, frustration, sorrow, and pain fused and contorted in his expressions. He didn't know what to feel. He could barely fathom what was happening in front of him. "_But…_ You said you'd come with us! You said you'd leave Team Rapture! **You promised me!**"

A glimpse of despair filled the Psychic's eyes. "I did… I promised you! **YOU, SATO!** I promised everything to you. Gave everything to you! But what future did I have? What future would I have after I left? **YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE TO ME, SATO! YOU SAID I'D HAVE A FUTURE!**"

"I **NEVER **broke that promise, Quinn!"

Grabbing onto the broken railing, Sato pulled himself to his feet – his teeth grit. "_I never did…_ You still have a future, Quinn! WE –"

"**WE?** WHO'S _**WE**_?" the Psychic roared. "There is no _'we'_… You promised me a future, Sato. A future by your side! You said you'd show me the world! You said you'd show me all sorts of food! Luxuries! Sports! Music! Movies! **EVERYTHING!** Things I've never seen! Things I've never known! Things Team Rapture took away from me!"

"**AND I STILL PROMISE THEM!"**

"**Do you?** Are you sure this _'Maya'_ girl isn't your promise now?"

"What do you mean?"

"_I see how you look at her…_ how you treat her. I've heard the _promises_ you've given her! You gave her the promises that you said was for **me**! I've read her mind! I've seen the places you've taken her to! The food and music you've shown her! **The world **you've shown her!"

Striking down at the console, Quinn** yelled** in anger. The machine **exploded **and shut down – preventing any safety systems from cooling down the other reactors. One by one, meltdown alarms began to **ring **throughout the large forest superstructure.

"**THOSE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE FOR ME, SATO! THEY WERE MINE! AND YOU GAVE THEM TO HER!"**

"**THEY WEREN'T YOURS!"** He tackled her to the ground. Pressing his hands against her shoulders, he sent _his entire Aura_ to render her body useless.

She fought back, _swirling her Psychic power_ around his mind in an attempt to paralyze him. **"YOU PROMISED THEM TO ME!"**

"_**THEY WEREN'T YOURS!"**_ Sato screamed out as he successfully _locked _the Psychic's body and energy up completely.

…

"_They weren't yours…_" he breathed hoarsely. "…I wanted to show you a _different_ world… _different _food… _different_ music… ones that you would love. Ones that you would appreciate. Not _those_… those weren't for you."

Quinn** howled** in utter sorrow. Hot tears raced down her cheeks as she continued to **cry out** like a child. **"THEY WERE MINE! YOU GAVE IT TO HER! YOU GAVE IT TO HER!"**

"**STOP IT QUINN!"** He pressed down hard against her. **"STOP IT! YOU STILL HAVE A FUTURE! YOU STILL HAVE A PLACE BY MY SIDE!"**

She turned her head away, refusing to look into his eyes. Refusing to believe his words. "You're lying! _You are!_ You're just using me! **JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!**"

Sato grabbed the sides of her head and forced her to face him. He pushed his forehead against hers and locked eyes. **"LOOK ME IN THE EYES, QUINN! TELL ME I'M LYING! READ MY MIND IF YOU HAVE TO!"**

His brown eyes shook as tears poured from them. _"I'm not lying to you, Quinn… I've never lied to you…"_

"**I JUST**… I just… **I JUST WANTED TO BE WITH YOU, SATO!**" she shouted at him. "I wanted to be with you! You make me feel safe! Sane! Fine! Like nothing was ever wrong with me! _…but the way you make her smile… __**no! **_**I DON'T LIKE IT, SATO! I DON'T! I WANT YOU TO MAKE ME SMILE THAT WAY!**"

"And I will! **I SWEAR BY MY LIFE I WILL!** I'll make you smile! Laugh! Giggle! Grin! I swear I will, Quinn! You can be happy with me! You can live your life however you want with me!"

"I can't. **I can't**, Sato! I can't live with you when you're living with her! When you're around her, I can't feel it… **I can't feel our bond!** I can't live knowing that you don't care about our bond because of how she makes you feel!"

"That's a lie! I _**always**_ care about the bond we share, you hear me?" He shook her head as his eyes clenched closed. _**"RRRAAAAAAAA! I CAN'T! I CAN'T MAKE ANY OF YOU HAPPY!"**_

Sato pulled away from her and **slammed** his hand into the iron railing.

**Roaring** out in pure rage and anguish, he launched a massive orb of dark blue energy into the burning buildings below. A whirlpool of bright colors **exploded** and consumed the impacted structures – suffocating the fires into ash, and leaving a dark tint on the objects affected.

The Aura Guardian fell to his knees… his skin turning pale white from exhaustion.

"I can't… _make any of you happy…_" he cried weakly as his body slowly slid away from the barrier.

Quinn caught him before he could fall to the destruction below. "_Sato…_ you make all of us happy. But you can't keep doing this to us… you _have_ to choose. Who do you love, Sato? Just tell me and I'll move on. Just let me move on… _please…_"

He looked up to her. His eyes straining to stay open. _"I… love all of you."_

"You _can't_, Sato. You have to **choose**, you idiot! Who do you love most…"

"…_none of you…"_ he frowned miserably. _"…I can't love any of you more… I really can't…"_

Her eyes wanted to look away. To leave him and just go. Sato was too much trouble. Even with all his promises, he couldn't have been worth all this… "_…why… _what do we have to do to make you choose?"

"…_I can't. I don't want to lose any of you…"_ Sato shook his head softly. _"…there can't be any other Quinn in my life… just like there can't be any other Maya… or Ramie… or Leanne… you can't ever beat the other… you can't ever be better… You're nothing like each other… I can't love any of you better than the other… because you can't ever compare to anyone else…"_

"So you're just going to keep us fighting over you forever? You jerk! _**YOU STUPID JERK!**_** I CAN'T DO THAT! I CAN'T! I'LL LEAVE YOU AND FIND SOMEONE ELSE!**"

He responded in a way that she never expected… with a smile.

"…_that's good. I just… want to be there with you until you find them… until you find the perfect one to be with you always…"_

"_And…_ you can be with Maya. You can make her happy." She smiled back, completely at a loss of how to feel.

Sato shook his head. _"…she'll leave me, too."_

"What…?"

"_I can't make any of you as happy as I want to… No matter how much I give, it won't ever be enough… but I can at least be there for each of you until you find someone who can… who can give you everything you deserve…"_

"Then… _…but…_ what do you want, Sato? What do you want? Who do you want to be with?"

"…_I want to make you smile…"_ he grinned.

His grin faded, as he slowly fell into unconsciousness.

…

…

"…you can't make me smile, Guardian." Quinn pulled and lifted his body onto her back. _"…not when I can't make you happy…"_

* * *

><p>Sabrina opened her eyes.<p>

A still-world of violet surrounded her. And in the center, a woman of pitch-black hair and ruby-red eyes quietly stood.

"…Quinn?"

"_She's not real."_

Sabrina turned, finding Casey and Dominique behind her.

"She's only a mirage." Casey shrugged. "Something about us needing to become the real thing for her world to continue."

The baseball fan's voice and mannerisms were like her old self… "By the way, Quinn says she didn't like that little lie of telling her she was dead."

"Technically she is." Dominique pointed out. "She's not exactly living in this world, is she?"

"She's in my head. And unless you want to call me possessed, I definitely feel like she's living."

"How long have you known of her presence in there?" Sabrina approached the purple-haired girl.

"Known? **Pff.** I didn't know until I ended up in a giant library!" She rubbed her head in annoyance. "You get into my mind and bring out some old universe person without my permission, then throw me into this crazy place… _you guys are jerks._"

"So you've spoken to her?"

"She won't shut up. How can I **NOT **speak to her?"

"…then ask her if she… _decided to stay with Sato._"

"_What the heck?_ What do you think, Sabby? Of course she stayed with him! She was there with him in the final fight!"

Sabrina looked away. "…that's not what I meant."

Casey's face changed almost immediately. _"I told you to heed my words."_

"…Quinn…"

"_We chose not to be with him. Not that way. Not anymore."_ _'Quinn'_ frowned.

"…then what did we do?"

"_We moved on. We couldn't provide Sato what he wanted…"_ She folded her arms. _"…so we gave him what he needed."_

"Needed?"

"_Our help. Our devotion. Our strength, and our mind."_

"…that's all?"

'_Quinn'_ glared at her. _"Stop it, Sabrina. We already chose that Ramie would be best for Sato."_

"_Ramie?_" Her eyes widened. "Then… all those feelings I had for supporting Angie…"

"_My wish. Though you would've chosen her even if I hadn't wished it. She's the best choice there is for him."_

"…but what about me?"

"_I said __**STOP IT!**__" 'Quinn's_ eyes narrowed. _"…you may be the eldest among this group of women, but you still carry the childishness that I had… you have to grow up, Sabrina. You cannot have him. He'll never pick you."_

"…that's why you believed Ramie was the best choice for him… because she'd never give up on him. No matter what."

"_**We didn't give up on Sato!**__ Even __**now**__ you're still with him. Even __**now **__you still feel for him! Even in this universe you formed a __**bond **__with him!"_ Her voice began to change, returning to the young baseball fan's lighter tone. "Even though everything's changed, we're still here fighting for him!"

Tears were in her eyes. She stepped forward in challenge. "Don't you **dare** say we gave up on Ash! We never did! And we never will! But we _can't_ make him happy! We can try! We can try forever, and we'd never be able to make him smile like he does for them!"

"Casey…"

"…but we can be here for him. Be everything he needs."

…

Casey sniffed away her tears and laughed softly, her eyes staring at the purpled ground. "You know, when she wished for me… she wanted to be more like Ramie. A lot more dependable and strong, without being so _messed up_. But even as I am, I still can't be _his _Ramie. He doesn't look at me the same way… _or even think of me the same way…_"

She stared up at Sabrina. "That jerk fulfilled his promise with you. He made you laugh and smile. _You shouldn't have given him that… _we can't pay him back in full if you keep doing that. We have to move on, eventually, y'know?"

"And what if she doesn't want to stop?" Dominique's entry to the conversation surprised everyone. "What if she doesn't want to stop smiling and being happy?"

"Domino, not you too…"

"I should be saying that to_ you_, Casey! So **shut it**!" The golden-haired ex-Agent put her hands to her hips. "You're going around speaking for little _Ms. Know-It-All_ like you already know what's going to happen and how it's going to turn out! But guess what? **You don't!** And she doesn't know **either**!"

Casey's face changed again. _"Who are you to say what I know and do not know? You know nothing of what I've seen or experienced!"_

"_**I don't, do I?**_ **Look here.** I may not be the smartest of you girls here, but I know when I've been given the rotten end of the stick!" Dominique approached the purple-haired girl and shoved her back. "You probably wished for me to give all my life to that Team Rapture, didn't you? Make it _'all business, no pleasure'_, right? _Be professional_! _Don't worry about things like relationships or love_!

"Well **you got what you want**! Look at me! I don't even feel a _centimeter_ of emotion for that Ash kid, or even Sato! Not one little _nanometer_!" She **backhanded** Casey. "BUT WHAT IF I WANTED TO? WHAT IF I WANTED TO FEEL SOMETHING? **ANYTHING?** Why can't **I **be happy? Why can't **I** have a guy care for me and love me like I was some kind of human being? _**DID YOU EVEN THINK YOUR STUPID WISH THROUGH WHEN YOU MADE ME?**_"

"_You… you don't know what it's like." 'Quinn' _growled. _"…to put all your hopes and dreams on one person… for them to just tear it in front of your eyes… telling you they'd love you with all their heart, but say they feel the same way towards every other girl he meets…"_

"But he didn't say that, **did he**? He said he loved each of you for who you were. I don't know much about love, **but that sounds about right to me!** You call Sabrina the childish one, yet you're the one holding a grudge against Sato just because you couldn't get over the fact that maybe you're not the best there is – that maybe you're not the number one of everyone – that maybe you're just you!"

Dominique pulled at her hair. "**Look at these! Look at me!** I'm an arrogant little perfectionist who can't even imagine how horrible I look without my make-up! I dress for success, I keep tabs on _what_ I eat and _how_ I eat, I think I look like a complete mess right now even though I **know** I look a hundred times better than anyone here, and I've even **killed **someone for calling me ugly!

"And despite that, _**despite how shallow people think I am**_, I think Sato was right. We **aren't **better than anyone else. We're Quinn. We're all trying to be someone different, but we're still Quinn! _Sato's Quinn_!" She stomped on the ground. "And we gave up on him. And that's why he lost."

"…_lost?"_

"Yeah. _Lost. _Against the darkness. If we were all there for Ash, he wouldn't be gone… if we were all there for Sato, he wouldn't have lost Maya… but we weren't. We all split up and went our own way."

…_because we could all have done better… _

Sato's last words. The universe's last words. The words that had haunted Quinn to this day. Words she never understood… and words she clung onto as her proof that she had made the right choice.

But now… with the guidance of three mistakes she made… she realized its true meaning.

"_I'm so sorry, Sato…"_

…

Casey's face returned to normal, though tears continued to drip from her eyes.

"…I think I'm ready to try again."

"Same." Dominique smiled and held out her arm.

The two clasped their hands together.

Sabrina responded by placing her own hand on theirs.

A fracture of white shattered the violet realm.

With a nod, the three closed their eyes and allowed the bright void to overtake them.


	43. Chapter 43 The Servant

As the last traces of sunlight hid away in the mountains beyond, three males climbed their way down from a cliff-side. The first to land was a young man of serious green eyes.

Gary Oak surveyed his surroundings, his eyes locking on landslide of boulders. On a patch of land across a large spring, the pile of massive rocks seemed too specifically placed – not matching the rest of the scenery around it… especially when one considered there were no chunks of dirt or stone to signify where such a landslide could have occurred.

"C-Couldn't we have just used one of your pokémon to get down here?" Tracey questioned audibly as he dropped clumsily to the ground below. "_Ow…_"

"Quit being so dependent on pokémon, Sketchit." Todd Snap landed elegantly and stretched his strained limbs. "Use your muscles for once or you might never get yourself a girl."

"I don't think I'd want to be in a relationship with someone who only cares for how I look."

"So you'd rather get her to fall your feelings?" The photographer shrugged. "Dangerous game, my friend. Once you give a girl your heart, they'll break it and feed it to the murkrows. Better to hold the advantage by keeping the relationship neutral."

Tracey smirked in honest surprise. "That come from personal experience?"

"Instinct. Us men are built to survive the dangers of life. And women? Most dangerous part of it."

Gary walked forward, not giving their conversation any attention.

"_Hm?_ Where you headed?" The photographer began to follow him. He moved his eyes towards Gary's target… the pile of boulders. "…that definitely doesn't look natural."

"It's not. There's a cave hidden there."

Todd flinched. "…as in… **the **cave? From your dream?"

Gary nodded. His fingers pointed to different areas of the forest and cliffs around them. "Sato was there… fighting off Team Rapture agents. Ramie was over there with Sato's lucario… fighting the largest group of enemies. Leanne, on that cliff, trying to keep our signal running. And Maya was right here with her espeon."

"Wait… so why were we here? What signal? Where were you?"

"I don't really know all that. We were being chased, that's all I really know." The Researcher shook his head and dipped his fingers into the spring. "As for me… I was in front of the cave… I was supposed to check if it could lead us to an exit."

"You had visions of this place?" Tracey sat by the water's edge and gave Gary a quizzical look.

"Nightmares."

"N-Nightmares?"

**Sigh.** "Whatever's waiting for us in there… it'll be the end of us. That's all I feel."

"W-What do you mean _'end'_?" The sketch artist smiled nervously. "You mean like… _end of the journey_? _End of the road_? You don't mean _end_-end, right?"

…

He didn't answer.

**Click. Vacuum.** "Come on out Blastoise!" **Snap.**

"BLAAAST!" the large Shellfish Pokémon roared in excitement. It had been waiting patiently for its services to be called upon again.

Gary nodded to the two young men that stood by his side. "Once we break through that rockslide, the cave ahead is filled with powerful pokémon. I don't know if I need to remind you, but I'm nowhere near as skilled as Farron was… so we're going to have to work together if we want to survive."

The Researcher's eyes locked with the sketch artist's. "Tracey, your pokémon will work as our scouts. But I doubt your scyther can handle the battle alone. Take my nidoking. Moves are Brick Break, Fire Blast, Megahorn, and Earth Power. Do _NOT_ use his Earth Power if we're in a closed area."

Tracey nodded, taking the poké ball from Gary's hands.

"Todd." Gary continued. "You don't use pokémon, and you still don't prefer it, yes?"

"I wouldn't be as effective with them."

"Then you carry our bags and items. Tracey and I need to be as light as possible. I'm assigning Scizor to guard you once we get in there." He reached into his bag and pulled out a lamp. "We're also counting on you to light the way for us. Pitch-black in there."

"Got it."

"Alright boys…" Gary sighed as he looked towards the blocked cave entrance. "I don't really know what we're searching for in there… all I know is that it's deep inside. Keep your guard up and keep together."

* * *

><p>"<em>Thank you for running the ramen cart, girls! Are you sure you don't want permanent positions here?"<em>

"No thank you, Mr. Tanaka! Thank you for the offer, though!"

"_Well, the offer's still open for you three! You really rake in the customers!"_

"We'll see you again, Mr. Tanaka! Hope your business does well!"

Maylene waved one last time and ran up to her two travelling companions.

"Two free meals and enough money to get us a decent room and even some packed foods!" The fighter grinned wide. Her arms wrapped around May and Angie's shoulders. "Not a bad grind! Not a bad grind at all!"

"Can we finally go to sleep?" Angie massaged her forehead. "That headache I got last night from the construction work is killing me…"

"And that delivery job gave me a major backache…" May whined.

"Yeah yeah." Maylene patted the two of them. "I know a person at this motel. He can probably give us a discount."

"Can't we just stay at your Gym?"

"I wish. But Leanne told us no going back home. _Team Rocket surveillance. Danger to the mission. Blah blah blah!_" She made a mocking gesture with her hand.

"Does the motel at least have a shower?" May asked with genuine worry.

Maylene stared at her in disbelief. "…of course it has a shower! **What kind of motels do you stay at?**"

"I've never stayed at a motel." the Coordinator admitted defensively. "I just really need a shower. I smell like ramen."

"Call it perfume. Guys love the smell of food." Maylene laughed heartily.

"Well I don't like it… I need to get out of these clothes…"

"_E-Excuse me!"_

The three young women turned to find a Nurse Joy running towards them.

"_You're Ms. Maylene, correct?"_

"Huh?" The fighter pointed to herself. "Y-Yeah, I am!"

"Oh thank goodness!" The nurse took one last stride to reach them. She caught her breath with heavy gulps of air. After finally relaxing, she pulled out a device. "You left your pokédev at the Pokémon Center!"

"O-**Oh**! Thank you!" She took the item with a bow. "_Man, I must've left it overnight…_"

"Normally we just hold the item until the owner picks it up. But considering that you're our city's Gym Leader, I thought it would be important if you missed a call! So I brought it to you!"

"A missed call?" Maylene blinked as she opened her pokédev. "Well whattayaknow! It's all charged up! Thanks, nurse!"

Nurse Joy bowed and smiled. "We're looking forward to when you open you Gym doors again, Ms. Maylene! The city's not quite the same without it!"

The nurse ran off, returning to her duties.

"_Open the Gym doors_?" Angie raised her brow. "I thought you said your gym was under construction."

"It was…" the fighter looked away as if her interests were elsewhere. "…but it only took a week to finish."

"**You've been off Gym duties for over a month?**"

"A little over two months, actually. _Maybe three at this point_." Maylene gave a nervous laugh. "It was finished quite a long time ago…"

The tomboy stared at her in disturbed shock. "Is…** Is that legal?**"

"I haven't gotten a complaint about it yet." She shrugged.

May giggled. "I bet that missed call you got was the complaint."

Maylene stiffened. "Y-You think so?"

She accessed the Missed Calls menu on her device and browsed through it. "Oh. _It's just Leanne_." A sigh of relief escaped her lips.

"Leanne called? What did she say?"

"_Hmm…_ she left a text…"

…

…

"Maylene?" The Coordinator crouched down and tilted her head, staring up at the fighter with curiosity. "What's up?"

The awkward silence given by the fighter had turned into something concerning as a frown formed on her face.

"You're freaking me out here, Maylene." Angie poked her, afraid to peek at the pokédev's screen.

**Clop.** Maylene closed her device immediately and pocketed it. "Pull out your pidgeots, we need to get to Lake Valor and finish this mission tonight."

"**T-Tonight?**" Taking a step back, the tomboy waved her hands and shook her head. "No way. We haven't slept at all since that nap on the flight over here!"

"And I still smell like ramen!" May whined again.

"**Sabrina's team already completed their mission. They're headed to Battle Island as we speak.**"

…

The fighter's announcement had silenced all complaints.

"What the heck are we waiting for?" Angie pulled out her poké ball. **Click. Vacuum.** "Let's go!"

"Why didn't you say that earlier?" May growled. **Click. Vacuum.** "And here I thought we were ahead of schedule…"

**Click. Vacuum.** Maylene rolled her neck and shoulders. "We're just behind one team. Let's make sure we get at least second place, Team Ramie!"

**Snap. Snap. Snap.**

* * *

><p>"How in the world are they ahead of us? Don't they sleep?" Dawn threw her high heels towards her bag and grabbed the sneakers by the door. She struggled to get them on, constantly tripping onto her next foot. "<em>Darnit!<em> I thought we at least had an extra day!"

"Don't sweat it." Anabel calmly walked across the room and folded her clothes onto the bed. "If I recall, you were the one constantly saying that we didn't need to hurry up since we were Maya. Now you're the most panicked of the three of us."

"That was before I heard someone actually _FINISHED BEFORE WE EVEN STARTED_!"

Misty shoved all her items into her bags without a care of order or pattern. "Not only that, but Leanne sounded shocked over the phone… Whatever changes happened to team Quinn, it must have been drastic to make Leanne that worried…"

"Leanne might just be worried since her search isn't going so well." The Empathic shrugged as she gathered her bathroom personals. "Afterall, she did call us earlier about how she found nothing in the Eterna Museum. If she doesn't find anything soon, she'll be the last team to finish."

"_**It's not just that, girls!"**_ Maya's voice had taken over Misty. Her tone was far more distressed than Dawn's. _"Don't you feel it? Something's off! My intuition's going haywire right now!"_

Shuffling back and forth, the older Empathic muttered the phrase _'She's back.'_ repeatedly with slight whimpers.

Anabel approached her and held her still. "Calm down. We can still do this."

Maya's eyes were watering. _"B-But you don't understand! What if Sato wakes up to her?"_

"It'll be like Sleeping Beauty except backwards and a nightmare for the three of us!" Dawn seemed to mimic the same exact emotion.

_At least I know where she got it from. _Anabel sighed. "Look you two, Sato restarted the universe for us. Even if he wakes up to her, it won't mean anything. He's waiting for Maya, not Quinn."

"_**Y-You promise?"**_ Both Maya and Dawn asked simultaneously.

"Promise." The Empathic smiled. Her lip twitched, as a slight feeling of _doubt_ hit her heart.

_S-See! You felt it! I knew you felt it, too!_ The more experienced Empathic stared at her with troubled eyes. _If you feel it too then it must mean this is bad! Real bad!_

_Maya, keep calm._ Anabel did her best to keep herself relaxed. _I'm freaking out, too… I know something's wrong. But going crazy won't solve anything. We need to keep our heads and heart straight if we're going to make this count._

_What if Sato…_

_Sato won't. Sato loves you. You know he does._

_But what if he doesn't? What if he falls in love with someone else? He's spent an entire life as someone else! He might've changed his mind!_

_Hey, we spent an entire life as three different people, and we still feel the same way towards him. Anabel smiled. Have faith in your man._

_H-How do I know he's mine still?_

_Because we know we're still his._

…

Maya's personality _faded_, and Misty's returned.

"Thanks for talking to her." The Gym leader laughed casually. "I never really know how to calm her down."

"I was talking to you too, Mist."

"_Hm_? I'm fine."

"Don't forget I'm an Empathic too, Misty." Anabel gave a caring gaze. "You're not as strong as you want us to believe… but I appreciate it. You're doing it for us. And it makes us feel surer of ourselves with you in the head."

Misty let out a sigh. "Well, we need to stop talking and finish packing…"

"**FINISHED!**" Dawn huffed out. Her hair was a mess and sweat dripped from her chin, but behind her, every bag and item in the room was packed and set.

The former and current Empathic blinked at the Coordinator.

"S-Sorry… couldn't wait for you two to finish your conversation." Dawn laughed nervously. "So… can we go? _Go Go Go_?"

Misty nodded. "Alright Mayas, we're heading for Lake Verity. Forget walking, we're flying straight there. I don't know what's waiting for us there, but I do know Maya knows. Right-"

"**I – I know what's there!**" Dawn waved her hands eagerly.

"Wasn't a question. Should've told us sooner. You can tell us on our way there. Anyway…" Misty stated simply before returning to her instructions. "Right now our goal is to get there as fast as possible. Make sure you haven't forgotten anything in here, because we certainly are not coming back for it!"

"And please remember that the pidgeots are not ours, they're Gary's." Anabel reminded. "Please don't over exhaust them, as we're not fully aware of how he cares for their health and metabolism."

"_Yes, moms~_!" The Coordinator giggled. "Let's go already!"

* * *

><p>"So what was that call about?" Solana stretched and rolled onto her back, staring at the young man that sat across from her.<p>

"Leanne." Ritchie closed his pokédev and sighed. "Sabrina's team is already done."

"Already?"

"And they're already on their way here. According to the call Leanne got, they already boarded the yacht a few hours ago."

"**What?**" The Ranger popped into a sitting position and yanked on Ritchie's sleeve. "I thought we'd get at_ least _three days of privacy here!" She pulled hard and threw him onto his back.

The male trainer stared up at her with a blush.

He had been avoiding lying down on the bed since he first sat on it. He had been avoiding the bedroom since he was first invited. If it were up to him, he would've preferred to stay in the large living room with Ash. But now he was here… _on the bed with an older woman_… with him _on his back_, _vulnerable_ to whatever she _desired_. Everything about this felt… _too fast_.

"Oh don't get like that!" She flicked his nose. "I just want you to sleep on the bed with me."

"_I…_ I can just sleep on the couch!"

"You're saying you don't want to sleep on this huge bed? This huge, comfy bed? When we've been sleeping on rocks and grass for the past few days?"

"…y-you can sleep on it, I'm fine!"

"Ritch, three girls are going to be lodging with us for the next how many days! You're going to regret not having a chance to sleep on this bed if any of those girls claim it. I know I'd regret it."

"I don't need it, it's okay!"

She gave him an annoyed look.

He didn't know how to respond.

She wouldn't let him.

**Click.**

The lights were off.

**Rustle.**

Fabric was being moved… _and it wasn't the blanket or anything of his…_

**Frumf.**

Whatever it was, _it was on the floor now_.

The bed bounced as Solana hopped back into the sheets. Her hands wrapped around his elbow as she pressed her chin against his shoulder.

Ritchie sweated in response. Feeling her bare legs slightly touch his legs. He felt like he was doing something _terribly wrong_.

"_J-Just relax… I just want to know what it's like to not sleep alone…"_

Solana's voice showed obvious nervousness – the first sign of uncertainty that had come from her since the start of the mission. The growing warmth from her cheeks and her awkward movements surprised Ritchie.

Within the time they had spent alone with one another, Ritchie had always seen Solana as the dominant figure between the two of them. Her age, confidence, and forwardness easily put her in this light.

Yet now… she felt _vulnerable_.

_What am I doing…?_ Solana wondered to herself as she wrapped her fingers around Ritchie's sleeve. _I think I'm going a little far… We're just dating! And here I am already wrapped in a blanket with him… I need to calm down. I'm giving him the wrong ideas._

She was about to pull away, when Ritchie's arm wrapped around her and pulled her close.

"_Ah…_" Solana's face turned red. _This feels… …kind of nice._

A soft smile appeared on her lips as she pressed her head against his chest. _It's really warm here…_

The beats of his heart echoed dully against her ear, calming her mind and stresses. _…Ritchie…_

Throughout her entire career, Solana had seen herself as an independent Ranger. Not as a woman of self-reliance, and not as a competent female authority… but as simply a Ranger.

Gender roles didn't matter much to her, and she often forgot it mattered to others. The idea of men and women, dating and marrying, relationships and love – were all foreign to her. Her job came first, pokémon came second, and taking care of herself came third. Nothing else mattered – nothing else seemed to be a part of her life. And for a while, she was content with that.

But since Ritchie's interest in her, she's felt… _wanting_.

Emotions and thoughts she never considered before were suddenly front row and center. Memories of feeling alone on her travels, even with her loyal Plusle, came back to haunt her though she never let it bother her in the past. And other future plans appeared… plans that didn't just focus on gaining higher ranks as a Ranger or expanding the Ranger Academy's reach throughout other regions, flooded her mind.

The idea of living with him… _like this_. Crawling into bed _every night to be in his arms_, or to _wrap him in her own_. Mornings where he'd cook her a _breakfast before she left_ for her next assignments… _Dinner dates_ and finally having someone to go to the _movies _with… Going to those little _couple-getaways_ and wondering _what she should wear_. To have a _friend to joke around with_ and hang out with inside a home or Pokémon Center, _on stormy or snowy days_. Maybe… _get married. …have kids?_

Her face had gotten hotter with every thought. Which burned even more as Ritchie would respond by holding her tighter.

She couldn't escape thinking about him. She felt ridiculous with these thoughts. Felt foolish for even considering them.

_I'm a grown woman… Ritchie's still a youngin'… why am I thinking this?_

Ritchie turned towards her, wrapping his other arm around her head.

"_Ritch…"_ she gasped quietly.

_This is… really nice. I… really like this._

Slowly, she inched her hand to hold him by the waist.

Solana wanted to be closer. To melt into him. To never be away from him.

_Ritchie's a good man… He's a little young, but he at least acts more mature than most men…_

"_You're beautiful."_

Her heart skipped a beat.

_And he's a total sweetheart…_

Solana sighed and rubbed her head gently against his chest, wanting to say thank you with her gesture. Wanting to feel adorable to him, so he could give her _more attention_… _more compliments_… She wasn't used to it. But she knew _she liked it_.

_I hope that yacht stalls… I wouldn't mind spending another day having Ritchie all to myself…_

* * *

><p><strong>Sigh.<strong> "It's no use. None of them are answering. I don't think any of them have signal."

"Maybe they're already going through their trial."

"Possible."

Leanne leaned her head against the seat cushion, exhaling her stresses.

"Hey, don't be so sad. We may not have been able to find anything at the museum, but we had fun!"

"Easy for you to say, Bianca… but you never seem to have a care in the world."

"I care!" The blond-haired woman adjusted in her chair, turning to face the Alto Mare native. "But there's nothing to worry about. Dawn gave us a new museum to go to~! And since we're already headed there, we should cheer up!" She gave a large grin.

…

Leanne turned her attention away. "Excuse me, cab driver?"

"_Yes, ma'am?"_

"What do you know about the Celestic Town Research Center?"

"_Not much, I'm afraid. Museums aren't my thing."_

"Thank you, driver."

"_No problem, ma'am."_ The man nodded and returned to his driving silence.

Leanne gave the blonde a knowing frown.

"…what?" Bianca tilted her head.

"As our gracious driver told us, there's not much to the Celestic Town museum."

"But he just said he didn't know a lot about it."

"Exactly. Which means it's nothing special." She moved her eyes to the window, watching the scenery speed by. "…it's just going to be another waste of time."

Bianca frowned. "Leanne? Is something wrong?"

**Sigh.** "What _ISN'T _wrong? Quinn is already herself… and she's already headed to Ash. And we're not even starting to become anything near Leanne."

"_Hm_? But you're Leanne."

"I meant the original Leanne… Leanne's not my name, remember?"

"It's not?"

_This girl is impossible… _The Alto Mare native ran her fingers through her hair in distress. "Nnooo. My name's Bianca. I just use the name Leanne because I want to be more like the original."

Bianca smiled in response. "_Oh_, I knew that. I just thought… that you were, _you know_, the Leanne of the team."

"What does that even mean?" she growled in frustration. In a few more moments, she'd silence all forms of communication with the green-eyed woman. She was only waiting for a comment that would drive her to that point.

"…well, Angie is Ramie. That girl with the purple hair is Quinn. The one with the orange hair is Maya. And Gary is Farron." Bianca pointed out each comment as if they were obvious facts. "And you're Leanne, right?"

"We're all Leanne. And all of them are their respective past-person." _Goodness, the driver must think we're crazy…_

"No, I mean… each of those people is the one that carries that person."

"Bianca, look, I really have no idea what you're trying to say. I'm tired. I'm stressed. And I really want something, anything, to go right. So please, say what you're trying to say clearly."

…

The blond-haired woman was deep in thought. Though what thoughts went through them, Leanne doubted were anything deep. But the blonde was her other-self, and that fact alone gave Leanne impossible patience for the woman.

Finally she responded, "Okay, so sometimes Gary would do this thing where he would talk to us like he didn't recognize any of us. A few seconds later, he'd snap out of it, saying that he was just really tired. I didn't think he was telling the truth… and now that I think about it, I think that was him turning into Farron from time to time.

"And from what you've told me, even that orange-haired girl did that. She'd turn into that Maya girl. So Gary's Farron and that girl was Maya, yeah?"

"…yes, and?"

"Well… do you ever turn into Leanne? The old Leanne?"

"I have her memories. And I know how she thought and felt. _It's probably not the same thing as the others_, but yes."

"But that's the thing! It _IS_ the same for everyone else! Why not you?"

The Alto Mare native's irritation had come back, as Bianca's questions had begun to return to its vagueness. "…Bianca, I don't think you even know what you're asking. Let me rest."

"But I do know._ And it scares me._"

Leanne rolled over and stared at the blonde curiously. _Scared?_ "…what do you mean it scares you?"

"…Leanne. _I don't think you're Leanne._"

"Bianca, I don't think you're making any sense. We're all Leanne. How many times do I have to explain this?"

"No. _We're not._ We're all a part of her, but we're not all Leanne – not yet at least." Bianca sat up straight and tilted back, allowing Leanne to see the sleeping Latias, the pokémon's form like their past self. "You have Leanne's memories, but I think it's just because of that colorful marble you have. Latias has Leanne's looks, but that's just because it likes copying who you are – and you just want to be Leanne. _But you're not!_"

…

Leanne folded her arms and raised her brow. "…are you saying you are?"

"…yes. I am."

Coughing to cover a laugh, Leanne shook her head in pity. "Bianca…"

"**No!** You just keep treating me like I'm stupid. But I'm not stupid, Bianca. I'm slow, but I'm not stupid. You're not Leanne, you're Bianca. I'm the one who's the other way around!"

"…and your evidence?"

"Hand me that marble."

"Excuse me?"

"Hand me the marble!"

"And why should I?"

"**See!**" Bianca pointed at her accusingly. "You're scared just like I am! You don't know what you'd do if any of this was true! But unlike you, I'm willing to find out!"

…

Leanne reached into her pocket and pulled out a marble of swirling colors. She looked at it with melancholy interest. _"…what brought this up, Bianca?"_

"…you know what it was."

A flash of memory ran through Leanne's mind. Their visit to the Eterna Museum…

Throughout their investigation, she found herself looking through every fact and description of the museum pieces. Notes, sketches, and questions were made for each item on display.

Bianca, however, had an instinctual knowledge for each object. Not once did she read any of the exhibits' summaries. Not once did she study up on their histories, heritage, or theories. And not once did she question their past… She already_ knew_.

Though the curator treated Bianca like an unknowing child, Leanne knew that the curator was passing up ground-breaking information by choosing to ignore her.

Yet that experience was not enough to say that they were any closer to becoming Leanne.

She considered that Bianca simply could have started remembering those facts by being around her for longer periods of time. And if Bianca became more like Leanne, that didn't mean much to her – as the blonde would do nothing with it.

In the Alto Mare's mind, all that mattered was herself.

If she was more like the old Leanne, then they were heading in the right direction. If she thought more, felt more, understood more, and became more of the old Leanne, then she'd use it to save Ash… she'd use it to bring back Sato. And she'd use it to finish what Leanne started…

_But Bianca? She wouldn't know where to begin with such knowledge. So in every way: She didn't matter. Her changes were insignificant in comparison._

…_yet…_

…

'_What are you looking at, Bianca?'_

'_That's where Sato and I first met…'_

'…_hm? Oh yes, you're right! Did I tell you that?'_

'_Wh-What? Oh. Nothing.'_

…

The memory haunted Leanne. She found it strange that it haunted her.

Originally, she theorized that Bianca was simply having a mental link with her and was remembering things as she was… but what scared her, was that Bianca recalled it _before_ she did. She knew she never told Bianca about that memory – because she didn't know it until the blonde mentioned it.

The memory was locked away. Partially out of dismissal of importance… mostly out of denial.

_Bianca couldn't be Leanne. I'm Leanne! I found Ash first… I found… Ash first._

Leanne gasped…

'_For the darkness, it can corrupt the visions given. 'Ash' had mistaken who to trust on his quest…'_

N's words hung over her like a guillotine.

'_Yet here she is… you can't escape yourself, Leanne.'_

The guillotine's blade fell, separating everything she had held onto desperately.

She could no longer deny it. She could no longer hide from it.

_A ribbon. A spoon._ _A meteor piece. A photo of Charizard. A newspaper clipping. And a sketching of Ash and Pikachu._

Each a piece to the puzzle that brought the team together. Each a piece of a map that sent Ash and his team to an adventure larger than necessary.

She was one of those pieces… _the sketching of Ash and Pikachu_.

Ash didn't need them. _Ash didn't need any of them._

Without them, he would have been able to save his mother and his friends. Without them, he would have destroyed Team Rocket's plans before they ever became a threat. Without them, he would have been fine…

_Sato already found Maya… already found Ramie… Quinn… Farron…_

Misty would be Ash's Maya. Angie and Ash would renew the friendship between Ramie and Sato. Casey would meet Sato on her own terms, absolved of owing him anything as Quinn. And Gary could finally be Sato's superior through his rivalry with Ash.

_And Bianca… the blond-haired Bianca… would she have met Ash eventually?_

_Ash didn't need me… _

_That's why I wanted to be Leanne… _Her hand squeezed the marble tightly as she held back her tears.

"_B-Bianca…_"

"Hm?" Her eyes gave a look of innocent curiosity. An expression that made Leanne wonder what the old Leanne was like as a child.

"…_if you become Leanne, what would you do?"_

"What would I do?"

"…_for Sato… for Ash…"_

"I…"

She clasped the marble into Bianca's hands and glared at her in determination. "Because _**I'd**_ fight for him! Because _**I'd**_ give everything I had to make sure he was happy! Because _**I'd **_thank him for every wonderful feeling he ever gave the old Leanne!"

A feeling of _warmth_ flowed inside their connected hands. The Arceus Drop spun wildly, reacting to Bianca's touch.

"_What…_ what's going on?" Bianca wanted to pull away, frightened by the strange sensation in her palm.

Leanne's hands gripped tighter, preventing her from letting go. "Bianca. I want to mean something to Ash! I want the old Leanne to mean something important to Sato! Can you promise us that? Will you promise us that?"

Bianca looked into Leanne's desperate eyes. Feeling every emotion and thought the Alto Mare native had felt with their past self's memories…

The brown-haired Bianca… the one who was afraid of what it meant to not be Leanne.

The blond-haired Bianca… the one who was afraid of what it meant to be Leanne.

And the Latias… the one who was content as whomever she was.

_Connections._ Connections she could see clearly with the Arceus Drop.

Everything made sense to her now.

In an instant, that knowing feeling turned the blond Bianca into who she was afraid to be…

"_Bianca…"_ _'Leanne'_ regarded the Alto Mare native. _"…I can't promise that."_

"Why not?" Her hands clutched tightly, tears dripping from the corner of her eyes.

"_Because I don't know if Sato will ever care about me."_

"Then make him care!"

"_You don't think I've tried?" 'Leanne'_ frowned. She rubbed her eyes, stopping whatever would have come out. _"…I've tried a hundred times. I've tried a hundred times more. And it was never enough."_

"Then try again! Keep trying!" She grabbed onto _'Leanne'_s shoulders, begging her with her grasp. "…I know what it felt like to be you, Leanne… you don't want anyone else but Sato, because no one could be better than him… because no one could ever be like him."

…

"_Do you know what it's like to be like me? Do you really?"_ Her green eyes glimmered as a streetlamp reflected quickly against it… showing the tears that refused to fall. _"Did you know that I didn't want to be here again?"_

She stared at her trembling hands. _"I didn't want to come back out… I didn't want to have to face Sato again… I didn't want to know who he was anymore… but you made me remember…"_

"Leanne…"

"…_you want us to mean something to him… when we don't even mean much to ourselves."_

Leanne wrapped her arms around Bianca. Holding her tightly. "…_but we do._ Latias means the world to me, and I know she sees me the same way." She pulled away, her hands still placed around the blonde's waist. "And you're_ everything_ I want to be, Leanne…"

Bianca broke down, pouring tears into her hands. Sobbing loudly. _"__**Why?**__ I'm just some nerd! Just some girl that knew too much about things that never counted in life! All those other girls were so much prettier… so much more exciting… so much more perfect! I'm nothing! Nothing at all!"_

"Sato cares for you… _that's why._"

"…_that's not true…"_

"It is. I saw those memories, Leanne. He cared for you deeply…"

"_He pitied me."_

"He didn't. You know he didn't. You know he genuinely cared for you."

"_If you really know that, then why did you tell me to make him care? That's a contradiction! That's hypocritical! You pity me too!"_

"Because you _know_ what I mean!" Leanne growled back. "I don't pity you. I _envy_ you. You're the part of Leanne Sato cares for. But you're always trying to be someone else… someone he doesn't care for."

"_That's not true…"_

"Be yourself, Leanne… that's who Sato cared for most."

…

"_Says the girl who took my name… with the pokémon who never stays in her own form…"_

Leanne laughed.

'_Leanne'_ laughed with her.

"…we're all a little messed up. But that's okay." She wiped her tears against her wrists. "That's what he loved about us…"

A soft feeling of _recognition_ and _understanding_ filled their heart.

"…this is…"

Latias sat up, waking to the same sensation.

She turned and smiled at the two in delight, giving an expression that could have only meant _'Finally!'_

Bianca blinked, _'Leanne'_ fading from her consciousness. "Hey, _um_…"

Leanne's eyes widened as the feeling began to spread throughout her body. She gave an eager grin. "I think we did it!"

The blonde tilted her head. "Did what? _Oh! _**OH!** Already?" She looked around in panicked excitement. "Here? But we're not at a museum!"

A bright light flashed outwards, engulfing the cab in a blinding void of white.


	44. Chapter 44 The Protector

On the docks of the Valor Lakefront, three young women sat and stood impatiently. Each carried mixed emotions and thoughts of the time and settings. They were here for a single mission that required all of them, yet each did it for their own concerns and wants. A fact they all knew would slow their progress.

Shaded moonlight faintly lit the reflecting waters ahead of them, while the lamplights from the resort city exaggerated their shadows from behind. The soft hum of the unchanged bulbs from the nearest lights added a confused fusion of irritation and comfort to the night air. And the smell of wet wood and concrete finished the atmosphere… which punctuated and held the young women's memories and worries of the future.

**Ker-plunk!**

Maylene watched as the rock she dropped off the edge sank quickly to the dark depths.

An exhausted sigh escaped her lips. "What are we even supposed to do here? It just looks like an ordinary lake to me." Her words sounded in disappointment, though it was simply a front she held for the other two. As she considered herself the leader of the team due to her seniority in age and experience, she held herself accountable of her companions' view and outlook of the situation. In reality, however, she felt relieved.

The fighter didn't want to be here. She wanted to be by Ash… Though she herself didn't have as much emotional connection to the young man compared to the other girls, she still held a curious worry for him.

Ash, to her, was right. He wasn't the best, he wasn't the strongest, and he wasn't the most handsome. But he was… right for her. A strange idea to consider as she knows she wouldn't be as romantically involved as the others – yet perhaps that was the reason why. And it was this distant connection that made her worry for him more. She had nothing to lose if Ash was gone – which frightened her. Like a package she never knew was meant for her, it would be stolen away, and she would never find the true treasures it promised her…

She let out a small laugh, finding it humorous how poetic her last thought was. Poetry wasn't her thing, yet poetry is exactly how her life felt like when Ash had really come into her life. It felt… _right_.

And now, at this very moment, the trio that represented the Psychic Quinn was headed the young man's way. Whether or not their presence and experience would truly make improve his condition – she wanted to know. She didn't want to be leading a team that would risk her relationship with Ash – she wanted to be by his side and see his changes for herself.

She started this crazy adventure for him… _practically jumping off a ledge blind. _

She wanted to end this crazy adventure for him… _wanting to see where she'll land._

Right now, she felt blind… _blinder than she ever felt._

_Maybe it's just the lake… maybe it's not just a normal lake, after all._

"You know, even though I've lived in Sinnoh all my life… I don't think I've ever been here."

Angie paced back and forth, watching the clouds slowly drift above her. A cool breeze softly blew against her hair, bringing the scent of water and distant lands. The atmosphere was peaceful and wonderful… hitting her with a tinge of sadness. She wanted to be with Ash. She always preferred Ash's company. Things never felt the same without him. Things could never be the same without him.

To her, Ash wasn't just a love interest. He wasn't just her best friend. Ash was her other half.

He made her feel confident in being herself. Though she was never ashamed of whom she was, she had always felt like an outcast before she met him. In everything she did and everything she was, Angie wasn't a standard. To the world around her, she was an oddball. A strange tomboy.

Though being a tomboy wasn't a unique thing in the Sinnoh region, its rough terrain and independent cultures often encouraging a far more masculine behavior in many of its women, she was considered odd due to her non-specialty. Sinnoh's tomboys weren't tomboys – they were working girls, strong women, and powerful females. Ones who had titles and promises to hold, goals and destinations to aim for…

Angie was just… a strange girl who didn't quite fit with the other girls. She wasn't fully independent, nor did she really want to be. Even when she began her adventure, she doubted her every step – and she never wanted to get used to it.

But with Ash, she wasn't strange at all. She was just Anj.

Anj was his partner, and she fit that role perfectly. And she wanted to get used to it. She wanted to depend on him, just like how he depended on her. The idea of being married to him didn't seem so strange. The idea of always being with him only felt natural. And the idea of running her parents' Day Care Center with him… was one future that she wouldn't have minded at all.

But Ash wasn't here. And though she was with young women that supposedly shared a past life with her – she still felt awkward without her partner. Angie couldn't stay Angie without Ash… because she was simply that strange tomboy that never quite fit, without him.

_I'll be back soon, Ash. I just need to get this done first._

Maylene yawned. "You know what? I don't think I've been here either! These kind of fancy places aren't really my thing."

…

Tilting her head back, the fighter glanced at the female Coordinator that occupied a distant portion of the dock. "Hey May. Wassup? You haven't talked since we got here."

"Hm? Oh nothing…" She placed her hands to her cheeks as a blush appeared. "_Just reminiscing._"

Of the three girls that held the banner of Team Ramie, May was the one that stood out most.

Unlike the other two, she was the standard feminine. She was emotional and expressed it openly, her habits and interests fit well with the pop culture of young women, and her body was definitely the most obviously female within the group.

Her reasons for joining this mission weren't hidden like the others – it was crystal clear despite her never uttering a word about it in recent events. Because just like her intentions for the mission, her intentions for gaining a relationship with Ash was crystal clear.

To the other girls, May was one of _"The Three"_. The three that had spent the most time and had the most experience with Ash. Any girl could argue why they were the best – any girl could argue that they had the most intimate moments with him – any girl could argue that they had the most passion for him… but if you weren't one of _The Three_, you had to wait in line.

_The Three _had special privileges. And if you ignored them, they could easily use their history and their knowledge of Ash to regain the advantage. You never crossed_ The Three_.

But with strength, comes weakness.

_The Three_ were also known to have rejected and avoided romantic relations with Ash. Despite having spent the most time with him and having plenty of moments alone – none of them ever deepened their relationship with him in those events. They had every chance, and they never took it. And that put them on the depressing roster of _"just friends"_.

Except for May. She may have been like other girls in culture and mannerisms, but she shared one thing that made her belong to Team Ramie: She was the exception.

Ash knew full well of her interest in him. And with every private moment they had together, she only made it more obvious to him. May wanted to be Ash's. There was no denying that – and no need to explain it. It was the only reason why she was here. It was the only reason why she kept going. And the only reason why she accepted her place in Team Ramie.

_Ramie fights for Sato… and I'll always fight for Ash._

"You saying you've been here before, May?" Maylene's question snapped the Coordinator back to reality.

"_Mm-hm_!" May happily pointed in one direction. "That's where the boat I arrived on docked. When Ash and Dawn were competing for the Wallace Cup, I came over to compete as well."

"_So…_ you wouldn't happen to know why we're supposed to be here, would you?"

"_Mm…_" She tapped at her lip, in thought. "…there is the legend of the Lake Guardians."

"Lake Guardians?"

"Yeah. The Lake Guardians." May tilted her head, giving a confused expression. "…you haven't heard of the Lake Guardians?"

Maylene turned towards Angie. The tomboy shrugged in response.

"Nnope."

"Neither of you have heard it? Not even from Ash? **Not even from the news?**"

"…_er… _did something important happen here?" The fighter laughed in embarrassment.

"Team Galactic! When they tried to steal the three Lake Guardians! Those ring any bells?"

…

"N-Not really…"

May slapped her palm to her face. "I'm not even from the Sinnoh region… and not only have I been to this resort, not only do I know a Sinnoh-exclusive legend, but I also watched the news that related to this place! **What in the world did you two do during that time?**"

"Hey, I had a Gym to run." Maylene folded her arms and shrugged.

"And I had a Day Care to help run." Angie defended.

"It doesn't take that long to watch the news, y'know." The Coordinator sighed. "And you'd think Sinnoh natives would know their own legends!"

"Will you just tell us what the heck a Lake Guardian is?"

…

May shook her head in surrender and straightened her back. "The Lake Guardians are pokémon that Arceus created. They embody the three things all living things possess: will, emotion, and thought. Each major lake in the Sinnoh region contains one of these Lake Guardians."

Walking forward and presenting the lake with her hand, May explained, "Lake Valor, for instance, has the pokémon Azelf. The pokémon that represented willpower."

"_**Ohhh…**_" Maylene grinned in understanding. "I didn't know that was actually a real legend. I just thought that was just a story they told to kids!"

"Yeah, even I was told that story when I was little!" Angie nodded.

"Well it wasn't just a legend…" May continued. "Azelf called on Ash for protection when Team Galactic threatened to capture it. Uxie called on Brock. And Mesprit called on Dawn. Together, they were able to save them from the clutches of Team Galactic."

Angie's eyes were wide with surprise. "**Why in the world hasn't anyone told me about this?**"

"_**Man!**_" Maylene punched into the air. "I wish I was there to see that! So why in the world does no one else know about this? They saved Legendary Pokémon!"

"_They __**do**__ know about it._" May grumbled. "It was **ALL OVER THE NEWS!**"

"Was it?" The fighter awkwardly scratched her head. "I guess I must've missed it…"

"Same here…" Angie laughed quietly.

"_So… _about this Azelf… what did it look like?"

May raised her brow at Maylene. "I don't know. I haven't seen it myself."

"Well did Ash describe it?"

"_Yeah…_ but I don't exactly remember…"

"…blue head?"

"…_I think."_

"Red gem on its forehead?"

"_Yeah…"_

"Gold eyes?"

"Yeah! Exactly! But how do you know what…" May sighed. "_It's behind me, isn't it?_"

"Floating above your head, actually." Maylene laughed.

The Coordinator looked up… the Willpower Pokémon stared down at her in playful curiosity.

May quickly tried to grab it, only to be smacked in the face by one of its two tails. "_Ow!_" She immediately stumbled over, nearly falling into the water.

Maylene dashed forward and dove towards it. "I gotcha'!"

Azelf spun downwards, avoiding the fighter and whipping her back with its tails.

She fell into a roll and ended in a crouch. "_…owww… that stung!_" Maylene rubbed her back.

"Quick, Anj! **Catch it!**" May shouted out.

"…why?"

"What do you mean _why?_?"

"What would catching it do?"

The Lake Guardian hovered towards the tomboy. Their golden eyes locked and gazed deep into one another. Within this moment, they felt an instant connection… as if _the two knew each other somehow, but not exactly in the same way._

Angie's eyes widened. An expression of understanding slowly growing on her face.

"…_been a long time, Zelf." 'Ramie'_ greeted her old friend.

* * *

><p>"So you and Azelf were friends in the previous life?" Maylene asked, though her attention was taken by the swirling wall of blue energy that surrounded them. The platform they stood on seemed to have no texture or color, only made of an invisible floor that windowed an empty void of white below. And no matter how much or how fast they walked, they never got any further or any closer from the blue walls.<p>

"_That's right." 'Ramie'_ smirked. _"Zelf really helped me through a tough time in my life. I wouldn't be the person I am today without him."_

"Azelf's a boy?"

The Willpower Pokémon and 'Ramie' tilted their head at the same time.

"_Boy?"_ The Fighter scratched her chin. _"Not really. I just call Azelf a 'him'. 'Her' doesn't really fit him. Zelf doesn't have a gender. None of the Lake Guardians do."_

"Wait…" May decided to add her own conversation. "…I thought everyone forgot what happened in the old universe. Even Arceus forgot! So how does Azelf remember?"

"_He doesn't. Even I don't remember what exactly happened." 'Ramie'_ shrugged. _"But I do know that I'm only aware about any of this because I'm near Zelf here. Same goes for him… If I left, I'd bet we'd forget instantly. Only one I wouldn't be surprised to keep remembering is Uxie and Quinn."_ She gave a slight laugh.

"But… don't you need to keep remembering who you were, Ramie? I mean, that is why we're here."

"_Eheh… honestly, I wouldn't really know how to do that."_ The Fighter looked towards the Lake Guardian for guidance. _"Zelf? Would you know?"_

"Azelf!" It nodded excitedly.

"_Yes!" 'Ramie'_ gave the Lake Guardian a high-five. _"You rock, Zelf!"_

Maylene flinched, noticing the swirling blue closing in on them. "Um…"

"_Everyone get ready!"_ The Fighter smirked. _"This is going to be interesting…"_

* * *

><p>"Sato! Sato wait!"<p>

"Nyeh nyeh! You can't catch me!"

"Satooo! Give it back!"

**Fuh-DFF.**

"_Owww…_"

"Huh? Are you okay, Amy?"

A small boy of raven black hair sprinted quickly to aid the injured girl.

Having tripped on a small rock, the little Ramie curled up tightly on the rugged dirt trail. Knees scraped and red, she blew at them in the hopes to relieve the burning sensation.

"Oh no… I'm sorry, Amy!" Sato pulled her up-right and began blowing as well.

"**Ow!** Stop it! It hurts with your breath!" She pushed him away clumsily and hid her wounds. "And it's **Ramie**! Not Amy!"

He tilted his head in confusion. "I like Amy better… it's easier to remember."

"What's so hard about 'R's? You're so dumb."

"**I'm not dumb! **Ramie. **Rrrramie**! See? I can say 'R's!"

Ramie gave him an odd look. "…it sounds weird when you say it. Call me Amy."

"**Ugh!** Make up your mind! … oh right!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a marble of red and blue. Holding it towards her, he smiled. "You can have it back."

…

She turned away with a pout. "I don't want it."

"What? Why not? It's yours!"

"I didn't catch you, so I can't have it back. You're just being nice cuz I fell."

"Yeah, so?"

"Hmph." Ramie stood, giving a slight wince at the pain in her knees. "So I don't want it anymore. You can have it." She turned and began walking away.

"I don't want your stupid marble!"

…

…

Ramie began crying, becoming louder with every passing second.

"H-huh? Did I say something wrong?"

"**IT-IT'S NOT ST-STUPID!" **she wailed loudly.** "Y-Y-YOU'RE STUPID!"**

"Pl-please don't cry! You're going to get me in trouble!"

She howled louder.

"I'm sorry! I'm SORRY!" He shoved the marble into his pocket. "**See!** I'm keeping it! **I'm **the one that's stupid! Not the marble!"

Ramie stared at him angrily, still sobbing, but far quieter. "…you're mean!"

"I'm very mean! Now please stop crying. Please!"

She rubbed her tears against her sleeves and pouted. "Fine. But you better keep that marble! Or I'm going to cry again!"

"I will! I promise!"

"You swear?" She glanced at him with one eye.

He nodded eagerly. "I cross my heart and hope to die! Stick a weedle in my pie!"

"Good."

"_Ramie, dear! It's time to go!"_

"_Sato! Say bye to your friend now~! It's time for dinner!"_

…

A frown formed on the young girl's lips. "I have to go now…"

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"…_I'll miss you…_"

"Huh?"

Ramie leapt forward, wrapping her arms clumsily around Sato.

"**Eww**, what are you doing, Amy?"

She pulled away and pouted. "You better keep that marble!"

"Yeah yeah. Just don't hug me anymore! That's gross."

With the quick bow that her mother taught her, Ramie turned and ran towards her parents' car.

Sato waved. "Bye Amy! I'll see you tomorrow!"

"_**IT'S RAMIE, DUMMY!"**_

"_**Make up your mind!"**_

**Clu-lunk. **

**Gu-donk.**

Ramie had entered the car and closed the door behind her. She sat obediently with a proper posture as she buckled the seatbelt instinctually.

Her mother looked over the front seat and smiled. "Did you have fun, dear?"

"Yes, mommy." she answered bashfully, just like how her mother taught her.

"You did remember to tell Sato that this would be your last day together, yes?"

"…_mm…_"

"Because this is your last chance to tell him. We're heading straight to the airport from here, darling."

"…_yes…_ I told him, mommy." Her eyes looked away, afraid to lie to her mother, as she had never lied to her before. But this wasn't anything against her mother. She had to lie for Sato. She had to lie for herself. Because telling the truth meant she had to face it.

And she didn't want to face a life without Sato… her best friend… her only real friend.

But her father had a new job, and they had a new home. She didn't know why – she couldn't really understand why no matter how many times they explained it to her.

So she just pretended she did. She did it for her mother and father. But she lied for herself and Sato.

She wanted to cry. To cry as loud and as long as she could. Until she couldn't cry anymore.

She was going to lose her best friend. She was going to lose her only friend.

And though her mother had turned back and no one would see her cry… Ramie wouldn't let herself.

_Sato doesn't like it when I cry… so I won't cry…_

* * *

><p>She covered the pillow tightly around her ears, trying to block out the sounds. The screams, the shouts, the yells, the arguments, the breaking of items, the cries for help and empty threats meant to scare the other. She wanted it all to go away… but the pillows were never enough. Burying her face into another pillow and screaming would always be better – but she was so tired of that.<p>

No matter how many times her parents would fight, Ramie would never get used to it. She thought she could. That if she listened to it enough times, she'd get used to the sound and learn to ignore it. But it wasn't the shouts and screams that she had to get used to… it was their emotions.

So much hate. So much anger. So much misery. They'd never get anywhere – they never want to get anywhere. They'd fight and fight and fight, only just to fight again. It never solved anything because it was never meant to solve anything. And though they'd fight almost every day, they'd mean it every time. She could never get used to the emotions, because the emotions were meant every time.

Ramie hated her family. She hated everything about it.

Throughout all her life, she did as mother and father told her to. She was perfect, respectful, presentable, and worthy of being called their daughter. And though it was fake – and though it was pretend, she did it because she loved her parents. She didn't know why she did, she just did – and so she would do as they say.

_But it didn't matter…_

Mother and father would always fight. In the end, they would always fight.

She thought if she got better, more perfect, more respectful, more presentable, and more worthy of being called their daughter – they'd stop fighting. But they never did. And they never would.

They'd tell her it wasn't her fault. They'd tell her she had nothing to do with it. But she knew it was her fault. She knew she had everything to do with it. They stayed together only for her, and they hated that they 'had' to. They would put on fake smiles and give false compliments when they were in public… then they'd bribe her to keep quiet with their presents. Their shallow presents that had lost all meaning to her…

A part of her would keep telling herself that they did it because they loved her. That they were doing all this just so they could keep her happy. But that part of herself was a liar_. If they really did care for me, then why don't they ever give me the things I really want? If they really did care for me, then why don't they even know who I really am? If they really did care for me, then why did they forget today was her birthday…? Why would parents who love me fight on my birthday?_

_They don't love me… they love themselves and their image… they love their perfect little daughter with the insincere smiles and the fake stories that made their family seem perfect. Always so perfect. When it was rotten to its core._

…

The sound had stopped. No more yells, no more screams, no more fighting.

Her parents had left.

Stormed out of the house. One went to drink with friends. The other would disappear to another town for a few days. Just like clockwork, as they would do this after every giant argument.

And it was the few times in Ramie's life that she could relax and be herself…

_No pretty dresses, no proper-proper manners, and especially no more uncomfortable fancy shoes and slippers!_

She kicked her footwear across the room and peeled off her socks. Her toes wiggled as they felt the heavenly soft carpet beneath her feet. "_Ah~ _so much better…"

After rushing out her room and sneaking through each hall and area of her house, she had finally determined that the house was indeed empty.

"**Hey Zelf! Coast is clear!"**

In a flash of light, a strange pokémon of blue and light blue colors sparkled into view. "Azelf!"

Ramie hopped up and snatched her best friend and only friend from the air, wrapping her arms tightly around it. "I've missed you** so** much, Zelf!"

"Azelf! Azelf!" it agreed with a smile and slight snuggle.

"Do you know if they locked me in?"

The strange pokémon gave her an obvious look.

**Sigh.** "I know, _I know_… but I have to ask!" She walked over and twisted the doorknob, only to find it unresponsive. "_Ugh…_ I know they'll forget again one day."

Ramie was locked-in, once again, as always. Her parents, who were either overprotective of her or their own image, had a custom-made security for the house. It not only bragged bullet-proof windows and break-in-proof doors, but all forms of entrance were also secure from all forms of exit. No one could get in – and no one could ever get out as long as the father locked down the home. And after every argument, he would.

And only once did he fail to do so. And on that day, the lonely Ramie met her best and only friend Azelf. Since then, the two were inseparable… except when her parents were home. She knew if they ever found out she had come into contact with one of _"those disease-ridden pokémon"_, they'd never allow her to see him again… and though the pokémon had the useful ability to shift through walls, she knew her parents would find a way to stop him.

…_they always found a way…_

She cradled Azelf and petted its gem with curious infatuation.

Azelf was a strange creature. From everything she ever snuck on the information of pokémon, he didn't seem to fit any category or breed – though she wondered if that was just because she never got that much information in the first place. Even if it wasn't that, it was the fact that he could shift through walls and even take items from the outside into the inside and vice versa: but he couldn't do for her.

He'd always tell her that it had something to do with the _'will of your parents'_… he was always blocked by _'will'_, though she had no idea what that meant.

Ramie wasn't even sure how she understood the pokémon sometimes. On some days she could, on some days she couldn't – and she wouldn't really notice when it was one or the other. She just assumed that all pokémon trainers had that kind of connection with their pokémon.

But Azelf wasn't her pokémon… Azelf was her friend.

And even if she could be a trainer, Azelf wouldn't be able to be her pokémon. The strange pokémon had a job. Always busy. Always working. He could never travel the world with her even if she could. …yet Azelf always had time for her on the days her parents were gone.

"How is work, by the way, Zelf?"

It tilted its head and sighed.

"Rough, huh?" She tickled its stomach. "…do you work in that lake out there or do you actually travel?"

Azelf shrugged and tilted its mouth.

"_Both_? …I'm thinking you said both. Or _maybe_."

…

The strange pokémon's eyes widened. It gave a smile and pointed at one of the walls excitedly.

"Huh? What is it, Zelf?"

Shifting quickly through the wall, Azelf vanished in a swirl of colors.

Before she could worry if he'd ever return, the pokémon reappeared, dragging a large bag. Considering that even he was having a hard time with the bag, it was obviously heavy.

"Whoah! What is that thing?"

**BOMF.** The bag crashed to the floor, its zipper breaking open from the impact.

Inside were hundreds of slips of white. Some with strange colors on some corners, and some with poor drawings and writing all over.

"Zelf? What is this thing? Where did you get it?"

'_Hidden. Not meant to find. Today, meant to find.'_

"Hm? What's that mean?" She pulled one of the slips of paper out, realizing what it was. "A letter?"

To Ramie's surprise, the bag was full of letters…

To Ramie's shock, they were all addressed to her…

To Ramie's alarm, they had all come from a single person… Sato.

The name made her heart skip a beat. "_Sa…to… … I haven't heard that name in so long…_"

…

"…Zelf? Where did you find this? _Tell me_…"

'_Your mother. Always got. Conflicted to give to you. Or. To throw away.'_ The pokémon's eyes were glowing bright, doing its best to convey its message… which it often said was difficult in a house so full of will. _'To make self feel better… mother hides. Gives her power and knowledge.'_

Ramie wanted to yell. Wanted to scream. Wanted to tear the house in response to what she was hearing from her best friend, her only friend. But…

…_now I have all these letters… from Sato…_

She picked up the newest looking letter and opened it.

'_Hey Amy,'_ Her heart skipped another beat. _Sato…_

'_I know you still don't want to talk to me. But I just wanted to let you know that today's my last day of being able to write to you. You know that guy I told you about a few letters back? Well, he says it's time for me to start my Aura Guardian training… …I'm a little nervous, but I'm definitely excited too. My mom's worried sick, but she trusts me as always. I won't be going alone, though! Pikachu's coming with me! And the guy said that after I earn it, I'll also get a riolu. I don't know what that is, but I heard it's a pokémon that uses Aura. Kinda like me! Isn't that crazy? And here I thought only me and that guy could use it. Ah, I'm running out of space on this paper! I just wanted to say goodbye. I don't know where he'll be taking me or how far away it is. But I just want you to know that you'll always be my friend, Amy! And who knows, maybe you'll finally let me visit sometime. I'll look forward to it. Have an awesome life! Take care of yourself! I'll miss you.'_

'_Sincerely,'  
>'Sato'<em>

…

…

"Sato…"

Ramie pressed the letter against her chest. Wishing dearly that she could tell him everything that has happened in her life. Begging the letter to let her see him one more time before he disappeared forever. But it was just a fantasy…

The letter, even if new, was already months old. Wherever Sato was, he was long gone…

And though she couldn't tell him all her stories and disprove all the lies her parents fed him and his mother… Sato gave her all his stories. And though were hundreds of them… they'd never be enough.

_I promise I'll read all of them, Sato…_

Ramie grabbed the closest letter and opened it.

The paper inside was a stationary with different Water Pokémon on its borders. Something she considered to be far too childish and cute for a boy, though she wondered if he had chosen it so that she would like it. The thought made her giggle.

His sloppy writing and poor attempt at art was laughable, but she found it endearing.

With a smile, she began reading the letter.

'_Hey Amy!'_

'_You know, I still have that marble of yours…'_

* * *

><p>The roars of the crowd. The heart-pounding music. The spotlights. And the sparks of excitement in the atmosphere.<p>

She was about ready to break down the doors with all the energy that filled her every muscle and vein.

_No, wait for it girl… wait for the intro…_

"_**And now! The moment you've all been waiting for!"**_

Cries and shouts exploded from the audience.

"_**Our Champion of Champions! The Queen of Kicks! The Persona of Punches! The Gaia of Grapple! The one and only Undefeated of Valor Arena – **_

"_**MEEEEETEEEEEEOOOOORRR !**_"

With the boom of applause, Ramie tackled through the doors. She greeted the flooding cheers with her signature howl and flex.

She was pumped. Absolutely pumped. Electricity ran through her every fiber as her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared. It had been a long time since she's been challenged – and she was going to savor every single second of this event. Like all her other victories, she'd remember it from start to finish.

"_**Will our challenger be able to face The Champ? I seriously hope he doesn't believe so! This crowd hates the ignorant!"**_

"_**Now I wouldn't be so quick to rule him out, Tom! This masked challenger has single-handedly defeated every opponent he's faced without ever once being knocked out."**_

"_**Are you doubting The Champ, Bob? You best watch your words or the audience might just boo you out of the booth!"**_

"_**There is no way I'm doubting Meteor Ramie, Tom! But I am saying that we might just get the fight of the century here!"**_

"_**Well that is what the fans paid for. So let's hope so!"**_

Ramie leapt into the ring, showing off her acrobatics and skill by launching several kicks before landing.

The crowd went wild in response.

She smirked and waved to the audience, sending a kiss and wink towards some cameras.

"Quite the entertainer, aren't you?"

Ramie's brow twitched. She turned and faced her opponent. "You're one to talk, _'masked challenger'_. A bit dramatic, don't you think?"

"I don't need the popularity. I came here for you."

She grinned. "_Ahh_, so a fellow Fighter who just wants to test their skills? Sorry to disappoint you, but you'll find that I'm more than just a test."

"Actually, I should be the one apologizing. I'm not a Fighter."

"Then I must be deaf, because I'm pretty sure I heard your nice little perfect score. And the only ones who can get that are Fighters or cheats…" She cracked her knuckles. "And if you're a cheat, I'll make sure every limb of yours would be incapable of cheating by the end of this Round."

"I am no Fighter and I am no cheat. My name is Rau, I am sure you have gotten my letters?"

Ramie rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. "Really? _You again_? You just don't know when to give up, do you? For the last time, **NO.** I am not interested in helping you in your little expedition. As you can see, I already have a job."

"That is why I'm here… care to make a wager?"

"No gambling in my Arena, freak."

"It's a simple one that you might enjoy…" He raised one finger into the sky and shouted out to the crowd, **"ONE PUNCH! JUST ONE PUNCH IS ALL I NEED TO TAKE HER OUT!"**

Boos, hisses, and jeers detonated from the furious audience.

"_**DID YOU HEAR THAT? THE MASKED CHALLENGER JUST BRAGGED THAT HE COULD TAKE OUT THE CHAMP IN JUST ONE PUNCH!"**_

"_**I HEARD IT TOM! BUT I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE MY EARS!"**_

"_**THIS MAN IS JUST ASKING FOR A DEATH SENTENCE!"**_

Ramie laughed loudly. "You seriously believe that?"

"If I am able to do it, you will come with me." Rau bowed.

"And if you won't be able to?"

"Then the crowd still gets to see the fight they paid for. And you might just be able to hurt me."

"Quite arrogant, aren't you, Mr. Rau?"

"Do you accept?"

A referee climbed into the arena and raised his hands. "Fighters! To the center!"

"_**THE MATCH IS ABOUT TO BEGIN, FOLKS!"**_

Rau walked towards the center with a calm and cool attitude.

Quite the opposite, Ramie charged to meet her opponent with a fiery temper.

"No blows below the belt! Rounds start and end by the bell! No corner hugging! And a ten mark count for knock outs!" the referee instructed quickly, as he too wanted to see the result of this match. "Fighters, fists!"

The two stage rivals raised their fists and pressed knuckles.

"_I accept, Rau."_ Ramie hissed._ "Get ready to have more than just your pride broken."_

"Distance!" With slight pushes, the two Fighters were separated a safe distance from one another.

The masked fighter nodded. "I apologize for any shame you might gain from this match… but it was the only way to get you to accept my request."

"Keep yappin'. You won't have that lip once I rip it off ya'."

"Round One! Begin!" The referee retreated from the arena.

**DING-DING**

"_YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_" Ramie sprinted forward and launched a heavy kick towards the masked fighter's head.

He ducked… just as she wanted.

"**GOTCHA'!"** Using her momentum, she raised her other foot from the ground and shifted her weight, whipping out her next kick while landing on her returning foot.

It didn't connect.

_Shoot, he's fast. But not fast enough!_

Landing facing downwards, she used her vulnerable position to her advantage. Pressing her knuckles into the ground, she tensed her arm muscles to her thigh muscles and swung her next kick. As soon as it would flex out completely, she'd loosen it and whip it back, using the swing-effect to spin and launch her next kick.

One kick after another, striking out at lightning fast speed and retreating far too fast and loose to be grabbed effectively.

"_**Now here's a sight for soar eyes! It's Meteor Ramie's infamous Tornado Barrage! We haven't seen her use this technique since the fight with Groat!"**_

"_**But are you seeing what I'm seeing, Tom? The masked challenger is dodging every kick!"**_

"_**Don't get too excited, Bob! The poor man is getting backed into a corner! It won't be long before he has no room left to dodge!"**_

Ramie laughed with excitement. "You may be fast, Rau! But what happens when your legs have nowhere to go?"

"You should ask yourself that!" The masked fighter charged towards the next kick and took the blow.

"_**AND ONE OF THE KICKS CONNECTED!"**_

"_**I don't know about you, Tom, but I think he just ran into that one on purpose!"**_

The red-haired fighter smirked. "You really think taking one of my kicks will stop my Tornado? You've just made a rookie mistake!"

Adjusting her knuckle and hand position, Ramie shifted her weight, reversing the angle and order of the kicks – leaving plenty of room to continue the barrage.

"_I don't think so."_ Rau coughed weakly, showing obvious pain from the one blow that connected.

Stepping forward and locking into a wide stance, the masked fighter used his body as a wedge to prevent his opponent's knees from fully bending. The awkward position caused Ramie to roll backwards to regain any fighting ground.

The back-roll was what Rau was looking for. "Sorry for this!" He struck downwards, his fist connected with her stomach.

Barely enough force was put to make the punch harm the Champion Fighter, and even if it did – her specialized roll was made to alter the momentum of any strike to weaken it drastically.

…but it wasn't the force or the momentum that the masked fighter needed to harm her…

"_HRAAAAAA!"_ A burst of focused _Aura_ ran through his arm and _exploded _inside the woman's stomach.

"**GGUUH!"** Ramie's eyes widened. An impossible amount of pain spiraled inside her body. She hacked out blood as her body convulsed from the attack.

The retreating-roll continued, but without control she tumbled and twisted in an exaggerated manner.

Her head smashed against the one of the arena's posts, knocking her out immediately.

…

…

…

…

"_-my…"_

…

"…_Amy…?"_

…

"_Amy!"_

Ramie opened her eyes, blinded immediately by a bright white.

As her sight adjusted, she noticed a silhouette next to her. _…the masked fighter…_

Without his mask.

His face seemed familiar, but unfamiliar at the same time. One feature she seemed to especially recognize was the look of concern in his eyes…

"Feelin' better, Amy?" the man chuckled.

"…_Sa…to?"_

"Looks like I won the deal. I guess you'll have to go with me then." He grinned.

Ramie sat up in panic. "_S-Sato?_ SATO? _**S-S-SATO?**_"

She grabbed at her head, pinching her cheeks and making sure she hadn't gone crazy. "**Wh-wh-what's going on?** _Why are you here?_ **Where's Rau?**"

Sato stuck his tongue out. "That would be me…" He raised the familiar mask of her opponent.

"**Y-You're Rau?** But… _**why?**_ _What is… __**what?**_"

His hand softly held her shoulder. She flinched in reaction.

"Calm down, Amy. Don't have a panic attack."

"**D-Don't have a panic attack?** H-How do I even know you're real?_ How do I know I'm not dreaming? __**How did you find me?**_ Where were you? _**Why were you Rau?**_ _Why were you looking for me?_"

Sato held back a laugh, knowing that it might've sent her over the edge. "As far as I know, there's only one Ramie in Valor City. I was a bit surprised she was a Fighter though. Suits you nice."

The Fighter pressed her head against the bed post… realizing only now that she was in a hospital.

What happened to her was a blur, but was unimportant. What was important was Sato… the boy that had grown in life through the letters she had read and the pictures he had sent with them… but now he wasn't a boy anymore… now he was a man. _…a… handsome man…_

"_And I called myself Rau because I knew you wouldn't want to talk to me…"_ he said with a sad smile.

Ramie's attention returned to the conversation. "**N-No!** I wanted to tell you! I've been wanting to tell you! I've been wanting to tell you so much that _**it wasn't me!**_ I never wrote any of those letters you got from me! **I don't hate you, Sato!** I've wanted to talk to you for years!"

He gave a sigh of relief. "_I got the feeling it wasn't you…_ that handwriting looked way too good for a little girl. But I never saw your writing before, so… well, you could see why I'd be worried."

"_Sato… __**SATO!**_"

Ramie wrapped her arms around Sato in desperation. "**I read all of your letters! I read each and every one of them! Thank you! Thank you so much! I've missed you so much!**" She struggled hard to hold back her tears.

Sato laughed happily and returned the hug. "I missed you too!"

"_Why… why were you looking for me, Sato?_" She didn't want to ask, she just wanted to stay in this moment in silence. But she needed to ask. "_…what's this expedition you wanted me for?_"

"Honestly, the expedition isn't that big of a deal… thing is, after I heard what happened between you and your parents… I just wanted to get you out of there. Away from the city for a while. Just get away from it all and… maybe _catch up_? _Hang out_? Whatever's fine."

"…so you got my letter…?"

"It found its way to me. _Yeah._" He smiled gently.

"_I didn't think you'd ever get it…_"

…

"…so do you want to go with me?"

Ramie pulled away and smiled weakly. "_Y-Yes. Of course._ We need to catch up. And you're right… _I need a break from this city._ It's driving me crazy."

"I'm glad." He patted her on the shoulder.

The Fighter tilted her head. "So what's this expedition about…?"

Sato's eyes blinked. "**O-Oh! Right!** The expedition… I'm helping a group of archaeologists explore a temple. They're trying to find information on a Legendary Pokémon. One that supposedly created this entire universe…"

* * *

><p>Music. Screams. Howls. Cheers. Camera flashes. And pure electricity in the air.<p>

Surrounded by an endless sea of roaring crowds and flooded by spotlights, three young women found themselves facing one another within an arena.

"What in the…" The tomboy Angie looked around in confusion.

"_Oh no…"_ The Coordinator May slowly began to realize what was happening.

"About time!" The Gym Leader Maylene cracked her knuckles and began her stretches.

A fourth figure appeared inside their triangle.

Hair of fiery red, eyes of summer gold, muscles of whipped perfection, and a slim figure that complimented her strength and stature… the Champion Fighter Ramie stood within the center of the young women's views.

"Now now girls… you won't be fighting each other." Ramie smirked. "You'll be fighting me."

"**Wh-what?"** May flinched.

"_I guess that's a bit fairer…"_ Angie shrugged.

"An honor." Maylene grinned.

"From what I've gathered from each of your memories…" The Fighter acknowledged each of them with a nod. "You're here to save a boy named Ash. Though in the process, you'll also be bringing out Sato… and you'll need to be me in order to do that."

"Pretty much." the pink-haired fighter hopped in place, excited for the match.

Ramie shook her head. "Problem with that is… I don't think any of you are worthy of Sato. Which means none of you are worthy of being me. Being Ramie means to be Sato's partner. I don't think any of you could handle that responsibility."

"**When do we fight?"** Maylene yelled in impatience.

The Fighter laughed. She pointed at her cheek. "_Go ahead_, strike me whenever you want."

"You asked for it!" Dashing forward, Maylene launched a hard blow against Ramie's cheek.

…

She didn't flinch.

"_Wh-what?"_ Maylene pulled away and got into a defensive stance.

Ramie shook her head. "You'll find that things work differently here in Zelf's world. This world is powered by will. Your physical attacks won't do much without some willpower."

"**Willpower this!"** A kick launched towards the Fighter.

It landed.

And like before, she didn't flinch.

"_**What the heck's heck?"**_

Ramie did a simple punch towards Maylene. On impact, its victim flew across the arena at a surprising speed.

"**AAAAAAAAAG-HUH!"** The fighter bounced off a post and landed horribly onto the arena floor.

"This willpower isn't from fighting." Ramie informed coolly, quite pleased with Maylene's eagerness of being an example for each of her explanations. "This willpower comes from how much Sato means to you. How far would you go for Sato? What would you be willing to sacrifice to protect him and make him happy? That's where it counts when it comes to being me. Being strong means nothing if there's no purpose behind your fists."

"Then try this instead!" Angie leapt forward and tackled the Fighter. She simply crashed against her, as if red-haired woman was made of steel.

"Oh I'm sorry… did I say how much _'Ash'_ means to you? Or _'Sato'_? Because I'm pretty sure I said Sato."

"Th-that's not fair!" May protested. "We're doing this for Ash! Not Sato!"

"And what happens if you save Ash and he's more Sato than Ash? Would you still find your argument valid?" Ramie yawned. "Look girls – I shared three memories of mine, reasons why I first started fighting for him. It's your choice if you want to use them to your advantage or not."

"But that happened to you, not us!"

"Then pretend that was you! If you want to be me, you have to understand how I fee–_** KAH!**_"

Angie's punch knocked the Fighter off balance. "You mean something like that?"

Ramie grinned. "And that's exactly why I was inside you and not the other girls." She cracked her neck. "You know more than anyone else what it means to be a partner."

**SMACK**

"_OWW!_"

"I did it? I DID IT!" May celebrated. "I MADE IT HURT! I – _**PFUH!**_"

The Coordinator was launched into the air with a swift uppercut. "Nice slap, girl. But you forget this punching bag can fight back!"

"_HYAAAAAAAAAA! HAA! __**HAH!**__ HRAA!_" Maylene landed a combo of kicks against the veteran Fighter.

And once again, she didn't flinch.

"You've got nice moves, Maylene. But you're still not getting the point of this." Ramie caught Angie's next punch and twisted it against its wrist.

"Ah! **AH!** OW! _Owowowow_OW!**OW!**" The tomboy fell to her knees, going into submission from the twist of her arm.

"**OOF!** _O-how-__**OW!**_" May landed from her launch, only to be crushed under the weight of the Fighter's foot.

"It's a bit sad that the only one of you that really knows how to fight is too weak to help you." Ramie sighed. "Well, seeing that I'm going to win – you might as well say goodbye to your precious Ash, because he won't be returning without my help."

"**WHY YOU!"** A burst of energy filled Angie. She turned her arm and wrapped her fingers around Ramie's wrist, reversing the twist that had her in submission.

"_**AAAGH!**_ _That's it!_ Just like that!" The Fighter found herself forced onto her knees, submitting to Angie's grip. Her head leaned back as May jerked it back by the hair. "_Ow!_"

"**GIVE UP! WE WON!"** the Coordinator barked as she pulled harder.

"You girls are really adorable." She laughed endearingly. "Let me show you what _real_ fighting looks like."

The Fighter attempted to twist her wrist to test Angie's strength – which only encouraged the tomboy to increase the pressure. She eyed the distance between her and her opponents. _They're too far to make an effective sweep… Guess I have no other choice._

**POH-CRK**

"_**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**_

The scream hadn't come from pain… but from a screech of complete disgust. May let go of her grip, nearly fainting. Angie's face showed obvious shock.

Ramie had forced her elbow to one side, popping out and snapping her bone completely. The arm that Angie had been holding onto no longer had any tension to force or control… her captive was free.

With a quick snap, Ramie whipped out three kicks towards the tomboy and one powerful elbow strike to the Coordinator behind her.

The two victims' expressions suddenly turned blank… the surprise blows knocking them out immediately. Their bodies fell to the floor, no longer able to battle.

The Fighter's face winced in pain. Blood poured from an open wound where a fracture of bone ripped through. Her shoulder slunk and tensed, unable to find a comfortable amount of pressure to relieve the affliction. Yet despite all this, a smile formed on her lips.

"_You have to be willing to sacrifice yourself and everything you have to protect the one you love."_ she breathed out coldly. _"…you three are pathetic. Sato doesn't deserve to wake up in a world with you occupying it."_

Maylene stood silent… her eyes wide and completely enamored by the Fighter's spirit.

"Ramie."

"_What?"_

"…is he really worth all this?"

The Fighter smirked. _"More than you could imagine."_

"And… you don't want him to wake up without you?"

"…_Sato deserves the best. Even if I'm not, I'm the only one who makes sure he gets the best."_ A frown formed as her eyes shifted. _"He'll be happy with Maya, but if I'm not there… she could hurt him. She could change him. And I won't ever allow that."_

"So you fight for him?"

"_Always."_

…

Maylene straightened her back. With her right arm, she raised her hand to the sky – a single finger pointed upwards.

"**ONE PUNCH! JUST ONE PUNCH IS ALL I NEED TO TAKE HER OUT!"**

The crowd exploded with cheers and screams, flooding the arena with an unimaginable amount of energy and excitement.

Ramie was smiling. _"And your bet?"_

"If I can knock you out in one punch, then all three of us win."

"_And if you won't be able to?"_

"Then the crowd still gets to see the fight they paid for. And you might just be able to hurt me." Maylene laughed.

The Fighter laughed with her. _**"Sounds good to me!" **_She charged forward at lightning fast speed.

Maylene stood. Not moving an inch.

A kick struck out, aiming straight for her head.

She ducked… just as she wante–…

"**GUHHH!"**

A fist was planted against her stomach.

The pink-haired fighter had moved in faster than she could anticipate.

Sending a ripple of willpower through her arm, Maylene gave all her _desire – duty – love – trust –_ and _honor_ into a single strike. The energy exploded and swirled inside the Fighter's stomach, overpowering her infinite will.

"Looks like I won the deal. I guess you'll have to go with us then." She grinned.

The world around them shattered… swallowed up by a void of pure white.


	45. Chapter 45 The Bride

Anabel laughed uncomfortably, finding herself in an awkward position.

_Do I stop them? I mean, I don't even really know if it wants them to stop…_

The blue-haired Coordinator Dawn and the orange-haired Gym Leader Misty were fighting for the Legendary Pokémon Mesprit's attention.

"_Mesprit! Remember that time when we!"_ _'Maya' _called out while waving her arms. She was shoved aside by Dawn.

"Hey Mesprit! Remember me? Back when Team Gal– _OOF!_"

"_Mesprit's MY friend!" 'Maya'_ growled as she pushed back. She gave an innocent smile to the Emotion Pokémon. _"Right, Mesprit? We've been through so much together!"_

"Mesprit chose _ME_ to guard her!" Dawn tackled the woman aside. "You may have been her friend from a past life, but she's my friend in this one! Right, Mesprit?"

"Does it honestly matter whose friend she is?" Anabel asked meekly. "Why can't we all be friends?"

The Coordinator growled at her. "You're just trying to get her to give you Maya's memories by acting all neutral!"

"_They're __**MY**__ memories, I should have them!"_ the orange-haired Empathic whined. _"Sato needs me!"_

"**You had your chance with him! **It's my turn! You can wait for him in your next lifetime!"

"_You don't even have any memories of him! Why does he matter to you?"_

"Because he just does!"

The two girls wrestled each other to the ground, kicking, pulling, biting, and scratching.

All the while, Mesprit laughed and clapped in entertainment.

Anabel sighed and moved towards one of the couches.

Since their arrival in the Lake Guardian's world, which decorated itself with the natural comforts of a home – filled with soft and warm colors – and accented by a mix of melancholy and romantic music, the three members of Team Maya did their best to gain the Emotion Pokémon's favor.

Though it had started as a group effort, it soon broke down to this petty squabble between Dawn and _'Maya'_.

They assumed that if they could gain Mesprit's favor, that she would grant them the memory of Maya…

This was, however, just an assumption. The Legendary Pokémon didn't seem to wish to tell if she really could grant that gift… enjoying the fun of holding secrets more than helping their dire situation.

Though in its defense, the group didn't seem to take the situation as seriously as they should have. At least, not Dawn or _'Maya'_.

Anabel did, which made her the neutral party.

She looked around at her settings in disinterest. Mesprit's world was _beautiful… elegant… wonderful…_ and expressed so much_ love, hate, sorrow, laughter, _and_ jealousy _with every accent and detail. It truly was a world created by emotion. A world that would have easily made the female Empathic gaze at it in pure admiration. But she didn't. All she could think of was…

_Ash…_

Her _lonely_ emotions beckoned the Lake Guardian's attention.

Shifting to cushion beside her, Mesprit patted Anabel's arm in comfort.

"Thank you…" She smiled in gratitude. "But could you please answer our question, Mesprit?"

The Emotion Pokémon felt the Empathic's sorrow and desperation, moving her to tears. "Mespirit…"

_I apologize for being insensitive._

Feelings of yearning and helping flowed from the golden-eyed pokémon… Creating a strong emotional connection between her and the lilac-haired human.

_I was simply excited to see my two friends again… it is rare enough that I ever get company._

_I understand._ Anabel nodded. _But we're here to help someone… someone very dear to our heart._

_The man named Sato… and the boy named Ash._

_Yes. Ash was…_

_I already know._ Mesprit frowned, its eyes shifting in sadness. _I am connected to all things that carry emotion. Empathics, in particular, I am far more sensitive to. If they are hurt, I am hurt. If they are well, then I am well._

The Emotion Pokémon hovered towards Anabel's shoulders and gently wrapped her tails around the young woman's neck. _Like you, for instance, Anabel… I had felt it when Team Rocket had taken away the gift of feeling your emotions…_

Warm flows of _love_ and_ care_ filled Anabel's heart… relaxing her thoughts and worries.

_And I had felt it when your friends came to save you from that pain. It was beyond touching._

…_then you know what happened to Ash?_

_I do… something had taken his emotions away. Locked them away… far away. Where I'd never be able to follow or find. Never to be felt again. It is a horrid fate._

_Then you must help us!_ Anabel turned and looked into the pokémon's golden eyes in complete misery. _We have to gain Maya's memories! Please, you must help! We need to bring Ash back! I can't…_

Curling into a ball, Anabel began sobbing quietly to herself. _I can't go on like this… I need to feel Ash. I love how he feels. I love it when I'm close to him. I love his heart and soul. I love him so much… I don't want to live in a world without that love…_

_Hush now…_ Mesprit comforted her with a gentle nuzzle. _I will help._

Anabel uncurled and immediately sat up straight. _YOU WILL?_

She nodded. _Of course I will._

Her eyes shined bright, covering the world in a mist of white. _Keep your hearts open…_

* * *

><p>The cool morning breeze blew softly against her skin, sending a chill down her back.<p>

Shivering, she leaned closer to him. He was warm. And he'd always get warmer whenever she would lean against him.

_M-Maya._ His heart skipped a beat.

She would always feel it, and it would send a warm blush across her cheeks. _Sato…_

Sato, the leader of their ragtag team of five. The only team that foolishly defied the Rapture Empire… and the only group of people that remembered that they weren't always an empire… and it was only because of him that they remembered. All those who fought with Sato would slowly recall the changes that Arceus had made to the world.

It was his role as Aura Guardian to be the will of the world. And though many had forgotten, the world still refused to bow to the armies of Team Rapture. The world still refused to forget what it used to be.

And so Sato would never forget. And neither would the few that would follow him.

And Maya… was one of those few. An idea that she _cherished_.

Not because of their goals as a team – because that was simply a responsibility she'd gladly take.

Not because of their memories that no one else had – because it depressed her to know that others could no longer remember.

Not because of their closeness as friends and companions – because she cherished all friendships, whether in this group or outside of it.

…_Sato…_ She wrapped her hands around his arm, clinging tightly as she took in his scent.

_He smells the best._ Maya thought to herself with a smile. _Better than fresh blankets._

It was Sato. Sato was what she cherished for being one of the few.

Because as long as she was one of the few – she'd always be able to travel with him, always be by his side, and always be able to do… _this_.

She caressed his arm with her cheek, marking him as hers. He was hers, and always would be. _He'll see…_

Sato had a kind and caring heart, full of overflowing love and dedication. His life was always meant to be for others, and he never resented that fate – he was happy about it. And it was his genuine happiness that made Maya fall for him. _Fall for him completely._

As an Empathic, she was often feared and despised all her life. People were natural liars and deceivers, and only Empathics could truly see through them. It made people uneasy to be around her, and would often drive many of them to chase her away from towns.

And with every town she was alienated from, she'd move to another… continuing her personal mission to make people understand the love of Pokémon. Her message was always accepted, but she herself was always rejected. As a human being with Empathy, she was a threat to her own species… exposing cheating husbands and wives, false heroes, lying politicians, and empty friendships.

She could have kept quiet; she could always have kept quiet on those manners. But her sensitive heart couldn't stand living in a world where people intentionally hurt one another. So she would never keep quiet… and she'd move to the next town, with a broken heart and a heavy weight on her shoulders.

Yet it was one of those shattered travels where she had met Sato…

The man who only meant the best for others. He was still human like all of them – still with his own wants, preferences, and needs. But it was his genuine desire to help others and delight in being successful in it that made him… _perfect_.

Maya loved him. _So much so._

But it had only been a few weeks… and he still didn't know much about her. And they still had a world to save. _And they still had to have a hundred more conversations before she could ever tell him that!_

The thought would often drive her into silent madness. Because she wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him how they were made for each other. How they could travel the world together and spread happiness to anyone and everyone. And how _it would only make sense that an Aura Guardian be with an Empathic, because he was the world's will and she could be its desires. And that our children would look so handsome and beautiful. And that I already know what his favorite food and drink are! And that I'd always have dreams of him before we even met! And –_

Her thoughts were immediately silenced as Sato pulled out a marble. His fingertips feeling its surface…

…_Ramie…_ Her heart sunk.

Ramie the Fighter. Sato's childhood friend and partner. Before anyone began their travels with him, she was there. Before Team Rapture even became a threat, she had fought by his side. And before the world had forgotten what Aura Guardians were, she had always remembered who Sato was.

At times Maya could deny the Fighter as a threat… _she wasn't a very beautiful woman. She was rough around the edges. She had an unattractive temper and a shameful sense of perverted humor. She'd never wear shoes; stamping dirt, mud, and dust wherever she walked. And her abilities as a Fighter and a thief made her closer to a mindless thug than a worthy partner._

But there were many other times that Maya couldn't deny Ramie's closeness with Sato… _when seeking guidance and comfort, he'd always turn to her first. He often laughed at her tasteless jokes. She was always able to get close to him without him shying away or avoiding eye contact. The two were inseparable most times, as they'd be seen doing everything together. And Sato had always held onto that marble… that strange, simple marble…_

Maya never knew what the marble was or where it had come from. But whenever Sato held it in his hands, his emotions would drift to a sense of familiarity… with a vague feeling of _'Ramie'_ associated with its very touch.

…

She pulled a strand of hair in front of her eyes. _Does he like short hair?_

The sight of her fairly sizeable chest also caught her attention. _…does he like flat chests?_

Her thoughts trailed off to more physical concerns… only to be broken by a shout.

"_HEY PRINCESS! GET YOUR HANDS OFF 'IM!"_

Ramie climbed up the side of the cliff and glared at the Empathic. "I go off for only two seconds and you outright kidnap Sato!"

"_Kidnap_? Sato brought me here." Maya huffed as she wrapped her arms tightly around his elbow. "Right, Sato?"

"_Eheh…_ y-yeah. Kind of." Sato's face was pink from the Empathic's affectionate grasp. "She asked me if I could show her my favorite spot in this camp."

"Bet you had to carry that dainty girl up here too." Ramie rolled her eyes. "Anyways! Get down to the campfire already. We've got breakfast."

"Why don't you just bring it up here for us? We're already so comfortable up here." Maya smirked, hoping to bring out the Fighter's ugly temper.

"**Or how about I toss ya' down there myself?**"

Sato quickly slipped away from the Empathic's grip and began his descent. "Let's go! I'm starving!"

Maya sighed in disappointment. Ramie stuck her tongue out teasingly.

"_Hmph. _Childish."

"Need me to carry you down there or you gonna' float down with that inflated ego of yours?"

Swinging her hair aside, Maya slowly climbed her way down. "No thank you. With how you handle your baggage, I'd be safer falling off the cliff."

Ramie easily hopped from one ledge to another. "Well hurry it up! At your rate, you won't be down 'til dinner!"

"I'll go at my pace, thank you very much."

The Fighter didn't respond, as she already found herself at the bottom.

Maya looked down, her body tensing at the sight of the long drop. "…_R-Ramie?_ Actually, can you help me down? "

* * *

><p>She coughed out a large amount of saliva, specks of blood tracing its edges.<p>

Her eyes unable to focus; twitched and closed in an attempt to see.

Muscles tensed and loosened erratically, as her body fought to keep the energy from breaking her.

"Ramie! Ramie you have to hold on!" Maya held the Fighter tightly, trying to stop her convulsions from harming herself. "Come on Ramie! You can't go out like this!" she cried out, forcing all of her Empathy into the Fighter, in an effort to contain and shatter the dangerous power that had entered her.

She was shoved off.

Ramie forced her eyes to lock on the Empathic. "_M-Maya!_ Y-You have to stop him!"

The Fighter slammed her fist into the ground, using the pain to keep her body focused and fighting. "J-Just leave me here! I'll be fine!"

"I CAN'T! YOU COULD –"

"**WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT? ME OR HIM?"**

"I –"

"_**LOOK AT HIM, MAYA!"**_

…

Maya turned, urging herself to witness the destruction that took place behind them.

An explosion of dark blue energy shook the ground as several pokémon were launched skyward. The Pokémon Master Farron and his team continued their fight against their impossibly strong foe. In support, the Pokémon Researcher Leanne analyzed and called out battle tactics – doing her best to find and exploit every weakness.

In the center of the warzone… the corrupted Aura Guardian Sato…

Their team leader, including his powerful pokémon Pikachu and Lucario, had been brainwashed… the main culprit being the Psychic Agent Quinn – known for her persistence in hunting and tracking them down at every twist and turn.

"_Only you can get him to wake up…"_

Ramie's voice had pressed her back to the reality she was afraid to face.

Maya's heart trembled, unsure of what use she was in a battle like this.

"_**GO! WAKE HIM UP, PRINCESS!"**_

The Empathic forced herself to a sprint – still uncertain and confused.

_But Ramie would never lie about this… if she trusts that I can fix Sato… then…_

Passing Leanne, she could hear the Researcher's demands for her to keep away.

The ground in front of her dented as Blastoise crashed against it, knocked away from a swirl of electricity and Aura. She leapt over the pokémon, feeling its _determination_ and _anger_ through her touch.

A shockwave spread out from her right, toppling her sideways. Girafarig's Barrier had blasted out, unable to hold back the extreme force of an Aura Sphere. The half-Psychic Pokémon's cry sent emotions of_ pain_ and _apology_, making Maya's heart shiver in sadness.

_Sato…_ She pulled herself to her feet and continued her run.

Farron attempted to stop her, only to roll back in order to avoid a Thunder attack.

Debris and smoke spread, causing her sight and breathing to be hindered. Metagross had been thrown into a nearby building. Its metallic shriek conveyed a feeling of _agony_.

"_**SATO! STOP IT!"**_ Maya cried out as she stumbled and struggled to get closer. _**"THEY'RE YOUR FRIENDS! YOU'RE HURTING THEM!"**_

The corrupted Guardian turned and faced her… his eyes shining in a deep blue.

"_**SATO! WAKE UP!"**_

He lifted his hand, a blackened Aura Sphere formed at its tip.

She ran forward, locking eyes with the man she loved.

_You're not yourself right now, Sato… but I know you're still in there! I'll get you back!_

The Aura Sphere launched, increasing in size with every second. It roared as it shattered and burned everything that neared it.

Maya pulled out a poké ball and kissed it. _Help me, Espeon…_

Flashing into reality from a beam of red, the Sun Pokémon readied itself for battle.

Accelerating in speed, the giant ball of Aura neared.

"Just like Sato taught us, Espeon!" she commanded, running directly to the center of the attack.

The feline pokémon leapt up onto her shoulder. With a growl, it created a concentrated psychic-shield around its partner and itself.

Psychic and Aura collided as Maya dove into the massive Aura Sphere.

Energies sparked and shredded. The _violence_-fueled blue force threatened to crush the violet waves that protected the Empathic. Like a furious tornado, the Aura tore and pulled at Maya.

Finally, a wound was made. A break in the psychic waves spelled the end for the frail woman.

A flare of magenta shot from the shield's crack, sealing the breakage from the storm.

Where the Dark Aura was powered by_ violence_ and _pain_, the fire-like magenta energy came straight from the heart. Emotions of _love_, _care_, _understanding_, and _passion _screamed out, damaging and shrinking the Aura Sphere with every flicker and flash created within their contact.

The Empathic burst out from the dark blue fury, unscathed.

She landed in front of Sato, who seemed unsurprised by her entrance.

His hand pointed towards her, readying his next attack.

Maya reached forward and connected her hand with his, preventing him.

With a deep breath, she dove into his heart. _SATO!_

…

…

Inside, within the swirling conflictions of emotion and will… Maya saw Sato for the first time.

His Dark Aura… was _genuine_. Though he himself was brainwashed to depend on this corrupted form of Aura, it was fueled from true emotions and willpower. No lies, no walls, and no misunderstandings. _Sato wanted this…_

_No more world. No more existence. No more emotion. No more thought. No more will._

These were his secret desires.

For too long had he helped others and made others happy. He had done it out of kindness of heart and love of all things living and passed. He had done it for others… always for others… He loved their smiles, their laughs, their revived passions, and their brightened futures. They always made everything worth it.

But deep down… in the deepest parts of Sato…

There were the memories of those who couldn't be happy. Those who didn't wish to be happy. Those who would always make others unhappy. And those who were too selfish to allow others happiness.

They weren't just the corrupt and powerful… but also the weak and innocent.

No man, pokémon, or creature was clean of these guilts. And it drove him mad.

He wanted them _happy… for them to love and care for one another. But they didn't want that… they wanted the shortcuts and trivial items… they wanted the misery to continue for their own wants… they wanted the misery to continue for their own desires. Sacrifice others for one's own happiness._

Sato… _was the opposite._

Whether he was born for those traits or he had simply grown in a way that made him a candidate, he was an Aura Guardian with no desire to please one's self. The success and gains of others would always please him more than any of his own. The smiles and laughs of others would always make his heart feel warm. And he would always sacrifice his own happiness for others.

Inside, Sato was a_ broken_ man.

He had given up so much of himself for others, that there was nearly nothing left. His kindness always came at a cost. His love and care always came with a sacrifice. And without ever gaining anything in return, he no longer had the strength to hide his dark emotions and will.

Sato wanted the world to end. If all was gone, then there would be no more sadness, no more pain.

It was his ultimatum. The last resort after the whole world had gone beyond help.

…the final path for a broken man to take.

_**SATO!**_ Maya cried out, planting her emotions into his heart. _**TAKE MINE! TAKE MY LOVE, SATO!**_

The Aura inside him pulsed out, sending a single shade of brighter light throughout his inner-self.

_I can't make everyone happy, Sato… And I'm just as guilty as everyone else in being selfish… But I have plenty of strength left in me! Take it, Sato! Don't give up! Don't give in!_

A second pulse. A third. His Aura began to glow bright… beating like a heart.

_Take my love… take my care… take everything I have, Sato… You deserve it. You deserve to be happy like everyone else! __**PLEASE ACCEPT MY LOVE!**_

Sato's Aura burned into a dazzling shade of infinite colors.

_**SATO!**_

_**MAYA**_

The Aura Guardian opened his eyes, his will shattering the mental control that had afflicted his mind.

In reaction, the brainwashed effect vanished from both Pikachu and Lucario as well.

"_Ma…ya?"_ Sato stared at her drowsily. _"What… happened…?"_

He stumbled into her arms, losing consciousness almost instantly.

…

"…nothing, Sato. You can rest." She smiled softly. "_Everything's fine now…_"

* * *

><p>Memories were vanishing, emotions were dulling, but <em>he<em> remained… _whatever his name was…_ she couldn't remember… _but he was still there…_

"_No please… please don't go…_"

She touched his face one last time. "_If we had only met sooner…_ we could have…"

Silence.

The world had faded.

She floated within an empty void of white…

Her name, she couldn't remember. Her life, she believed she never had one. Her soul, she wasn't aware of having one.

It was just the void. And nothing.

Nothing was devouring her. Nothing was making her disappear completely. Nothing made her forget. Nothing made her nothing.

A soul to never be given its purpose of life. A soul to never be given the assignment of death. To never experience the joys, the sorrows, the pains, or the thrills of existence.

She could no longer be…

But… that man. He was still there.

He could see her. He remembered her.

And she could feel it. What he felt, she could. Nothing was pulling her away, but he struggled. Held on. He didn't believe she was nothing. She had a name. She had a life. She had a soul. She didn't know, but he did. And he would do anything to protect it.

Whoever he was…

* * *

><p>In the endless void of white, three appeared.<p>

A young woman of orange hair and green eyes…

A young woman of lilac hair and lilac eyes…

And a woman of orange hair and deep blue eyes…

Misty, Anabel, and Maya became conscious of their surroundings.

…

"Dawn?" Anabel looked upwards, noticing the young Coordinator hovering in the endless skies above.

"Hey Dawn! What are you doing up there?" Misty called out.

"…she can't hear you…"

The two turned towards the woman of deep blue eyes.

"…Dawn is the one that can't remember…"

"Huh?" The Gym Leader tilted her head. "What does that mean?"

Maya gave a look of sadness. "…when the darkness took me… it was the end of my existence. I didn't die. I slowly ceased to exist…" She faced upwards, watching the blue-haired Coordinator hover silently above them. "…even though Sato restarted the universe, it couldn't reverse the damage the darkness had already caused…"

Anabel gasped. "Then that means…"

"Yes…" She nodded, allowing her attention to move back to the two. "…Dawn is the piece of me the darkness had claimed. She won't remember who Sato is… she can only see him as a new acquaintance. New memories may be formed with him, but she'll never remember any past ones she spent with him."

Misty approached the older Empathic. Her eyes full of pity, but still showing determination. "But… don't we all need to remember who Sato was in order to bring him back?"

"…yes." Maya sighed with regret. "_…I wonder if the darkness planned for this… planned to get rid of Sato once and for all, while ensuring that I could never become whole._"

Her hands balling into fists, the Frontier Brain shouted into the sky, "DAAAWWWWNNN!"

Tears ran down Maya's cheeks. She turned away and began to sob. "It's no use. Bringing her here was a horrid idea… now she'll be trapped forever in this memory."

"**WHAT?"**

Misty stomped towards her lookalike and grabbed her by the collar. **"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S TRAPPED HERE?"**

Maya glared at her angrily. The Gym Leader's hot temper was far too like Ramie's for her tastes. "Exactly what I said. **She's trapped here.** All emotions have a beginning and an end. But sometimes we trap ourselves in our own sorrows and angers that we never find solace. Here in Mesprit's world, it becomes a literal interpretation."

"**Can't we pull her out?"**

She shook her head. "Dawn can only leave if she can complete the memory she's currently in…" Spreading her arms wide, Maya presented the eternal void. "…but as you can see, she's in a memory that never ends. With no emotion, she can never break free."

Misty growled, lifting the woman off the ground. "You're an Empathic! **MAKE HER FEEL EMOTIONS!**"

Maya broke away from the grip and adjusted her clothes back to perfection. "If you're not aware of it already; this memory is of when the darkness took me. _I lost my memories… my thoughts… my will… and my emotions…_" A feeling of despair filled her. "…the darkness swallows all things. If I were to even send a single, tiny emotion – I would be swallowed up completely and end up just like Dawn."

"_**Then what are we supposed to do?"**_

"…leave. And just hope that the memories you two have gained would be enough to bring Sato back…"

…

The Cerulean Gym Leader scratched her hair in frustration. "_We're not doing that._ Anabel, do you have any ideas?"

…

"_Anabel?_" Misty looked towards the younger Empathic – noticing that she was staring intensely at Maya. "Is something wrong, Anabel?"

"…the Maya in here doesn't feel like the Maya from out there." she studied.

"That is because Dawn's emotions are no longer connected with mine." Maya explained. "As she was the far more innocent and excitable side of myself, I've lost that side of me once she became trapped."

Anabel tapped her lip and narrowed her eyes. "_But that still wouldn't explain something else…_"

"Which is?"

"…the Maya from the memories don't fully reflect the Maya we spent time with in Jubilife City."

"Same explanation. What you saw were memories that mostly matched your specific pieces of me. All other memories have more than likely disappeared."

"Except for the fact that** I** still remember who you were."

"…what do you mean?"

Anabel folded her arms, hoping that her answer would be correct. "I remember who you were back at the hotel. I remember who you were in the airplane. I remember who you were when we were shopping. And I remember who you were when we first got to Lake Verity."

"As I explained –"

"Misty still remembers too." She interrupted. "And I could make an educated guess that even Ash would remember you if he could think right now."

Maya raised her brow. "I don't know what you're trying to get at."

"Dawn may have forgotten, you may have forgotten…" Anabel flicked her hair to the side. "**But we haven't. **Now I know what we're supposed to do when we meet up with Ash again. _Because this is the same exact situation._"

"What? What do you mean?" Misty asked eagerly.

"Ash's emotions, thoughts, and spirit were taken away by the darkness. In the same way, so was Maya's. Dawn is the representation of that. We get Dawn back the same way we get Ash back!"

A large grin formed on Misty's face. She patted the young Empathic hard on the back. "_**ANABEL! YOU GENIUS! So how do we do this?**_"

"By joining her."

The Gym Leader's face gave a blank expression. "_…what did you just say?_"

"Dawn doesn't remember who she is. That's what's keeping her in here. **We don't know Dawn, but we know who Maya is!** _**The only way she's going to remember herself is if she's whole!**_"

"Are you crazy? If we each try to do it we're all going to be trapped here!"

"That's why we're not _each_ doing it. We're **ALL **doing it!" Anabel smiled and faced the older Empathic. "Maya. Hold my hand."

She hesitated. _"…but if we fail…"_

"And if we don't do anything at all, Ash will face the same fate as Dawn. And since there's only one Sato, that makes him the same as Ash." Holding out her hand, Anabel nodded. "Do you want Sato to stop existing?"

"**N-NO!"** Maya quickly latched onto her hand.

"_Thank you._" The younger Empathic gave a smile of relief. "Misty, you too."

"_I still think this is crazy…_" Misty sighed. "But…"

She held Anabel's other hand. "…I'm willing. _For Ash._"

The three clenched their hands tightly, all facing skyward towards the young Coordinator.

"…there's more to memories than just thought." Anabel stated. "We don't need to recall the exact moment or event to remember what it felt like…"

"So all we need to do is remember what it felt like to be Maya?" Misty relaxed her shoulders, readying herself.

"…shouldn't be too hard." Maya joked.

Anabel slowed her breathing. "On the count of three, send all your emotions and thoughts towards me."

"…_one."_

"…_two."_

"…_**THREE!"**_


	46. Chapter 46 The Shadow

Twist after twist after turn after turn.

He was heading nowhere fast. But he had to keep moving. He couldn't stay still.

The mist blocked his view, making him unsure of every step and decision made.

But he had to make a decision anyways. Because if he didn't…

"_Tch!_ Another dead end!"

He turned, only to find more mist and more shadows.

An eerie darkness slowly hovered through the large passages… it seemed to be coming closer yet further at the same time.

A soft wind blew, clearing the fog from one tunnel.

There was no time to think, he sprinted straight in.

Not a single pokémon had been seen for the past few hours. And though he found them annoying in the beginning, he was deeply wishing there was at least one. To at least tell him he wasn't alone.

_But he was alone…_

The photographer was taken first… dragged screaming into the eternal shadows.

They tried to turn back and rescue him… only to find themselves ambushed.

One by one, his pokémon vanished into the mist. Their roars and growls of defiance being the last sounds he had ever heard from them.

Their disappearance was eerie and frustrating… but their voices and sounds being suddenly silenced was far more discomforting…

The sketch-artist and his pokémon were next… taking a corner they believed was the way out… swallowed by the mist… "RUN!" was the last word his grandfather's assistant offered.

And lastly… Umbreon.

It found the creature and charged at it bravely.

With the mist, the creature had vanished – taking his loyal pokémon with it.

Now he was the last one left…

Running blindly through the tunnels…

Cursing fate. Despising the ones who thought this was some kind of hilarious joke to play on his life.

It was just like his nightmare.

_Farron felt the same confusion… the same panic… the same fear._

The Goldenboy of the West Farron. The One Man Army Farron. The Protector of Brushsky Forest Farron. The Champion of One Hundred Tournaments Farron. The King of the Century Battle Farron. The Pokémon Master of the Ota region Farron.

_That Farron… was afraid._

What chance did Gary Oak stand against a monster like this? The one monster Farron couldn't face. _The one monster that was Farron's end…_

_The endless cave walls echoed the last regrets Farron had in this moment of his life…_

_Why didn't I just become an artist?_

_If I had never gotten involved with pokémon, this would have never happened…_

_No… if I had never gotten involved with Sato, this would have never happened._

"_Sato…"_ he growled.

The Aura Guardian of the past life. The one who made a fool of him in the Rapture attack of Siphon City by saving his life. The one he decided to follow just to regain his honor… and the one who beat him at every twist and turn.

The woman he saw like a little sister, Ramie… she rejected him to stay loyal to Sato… who would never love her.

The woman that was his angel in a life of sin, Maya… she ran from him to cling onto Sato… who didn't need her like he did.

The woman who rescued him from the clutches of Team Rapture, Quinn… she cared little for him, admitting she was working on Sato's orders… humiliating him even further…

And the woman that became his partner on and off the battlefield, Leanne… she ignored him… her admiration and infatuation belonging to Sato… because Sato was better… Sato was always better…

Farron could have any woman he pleased… but the only ones who ever mattered to him, Sato stole away from him.

And to meet his fate in the infinite cave… _in a place where no one would ever find him… never buried and forever forgotten… all because he was trying to save the Aura Guardian?_

_It was like a sick joke._

And now here he was again… in a different form, as a completely different person… _given three chances in life to make the right decision and find his own happiness! And he just went and threw them all in the same coffin that Sato made for him!_

Sato may have been admired by the others… but to Farron, he was a fool. The fates chose wrong by picking him as the Aura Guardian. He restarted the universe for his own selfish wants… and doomed every reincarnation of Farron to the same fate. _Just to save him…_

A light…

Gary's eyes widened. **"THE EXIT!"** _Maybe I still have a chance to change everything…_

…

The light vanished.

"_**What? NO!"**_

A familiar mist seeped in and swirled around him…

The mist formed and slowly began to solidify…

"_No…"_

Gary turned, only to find more mist becoming physical.

He was surrounded. Just like the end of his nightmare…

The gray fog swirled and materialized into flesh.

A massive creature of gray and black loomed over him… its gold and red accents gave it a far more majestic yet terrifying presence… an immense wind blew as it spread out its sovereign wings.

The Legendary Renegade… Giratina.

…

_**So the last of my servants has come back…**_

"_What was…"_

Gary had felt his body shifting in and out of place as the creature spoke.

"_Matter and anti-matter…"_ he hissed in realization.

Recalling the legends of creation… Arceus, the god Pokémon, hatched from an egg in this universe. In its birth, the god had simultaneously created Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. Each a god in their own right – as Dialga controlled time, Palkia controlled space, and Giratina controlled matter and antimatter.

Showing a far more violent and aggressive nature than the others, Giratina was banished into its own realm… the Reverse World. There it stayed, content with its own domain. The Reverse World and Giratina's existences only becoming known after an event that Ash was directly involved in…

_But what in the world is it doing on this side of the universe…?_

_**You shall address me as your master, mortal…**_

"…_it can read my mind…_" Gary's eyes narrowed. "What do you want from me?"

_**For you to serve me as you once did…**_

"I've _**never **_served you!"

…

In a flash of mist, Todd and Tracey appeared by Gary's feet… both unconscious.

Before he could reach down to wake them, the three of them were engulfed by a dark fire.

Broken screams, choked yells, and desperate roars rang out as the incinerated humans cried in agonizing torment. Their bodies kicked, rolled, and stumbled in a futile attempt to extinguish the unnatural flames.

Giratina twitched its eyes, commanding the inferno to converge.

Three merged into one… leaving only a lone body to smolder in black fire.

Completing its job, the fire vanished into the air.

…

"_Ach… what is…?_" The single man struggled to his feet.

Eyes widened from a terrifying revelation, the man named Farron was whole once again.

_**Mortal… you have failed twice in your duty…**_

"My… duty?"

_**In exchange for sparing your life… your soul was made contract to me…**_

"…contract?"

_**Your task to the darkness…**_

Farron grasped his head, traces of memories flashing quickly through his mind.

_I destroyed Rapture's machine…_

_Alpha team was sent in to destroy Team Rocket's machine…_

…_they were both done to release the darkness…_

"Why… **why do you want to release the darkness?**" he growled defiantly to the Legendary. "It can destroy you as well! Matter, antimatter, it ceases **all** existence!"

_**I am aware… And all my creation shall vanish to nothingness because of it…**_

"**Then why?"**

_**Because like you… I am a slave to my own existence. The god that created me had banished me before… The god that created me had banished me in this universe as well… If the universe continues, I shall always be banished… I was created to be banished… to be shunned… to be enslaved… The god that created me is no different… It too was created for its eternal purpose… I intend to break these chains…**_

"_Wait…_ how do you remember what happened in the previous universe? It's said that even Arceus couldn't remember!"

_**Only those involved can remember… I was the one that revealed the darkness to the mortal N… just as I was the one that revealed the darkness to the mortal Giovanni…**_

"**You're the one behind all this?"**

_**The creations cannot harm the creator… yet they may task others to release powers beyond the power of their creator… Mortals are far too insignificant and plenty for Arceus to watch over… so I have tasked mortals to seek the darkness… so I have tasked mortals to retrieve the darkness… and you, mortal, I have tasked to release the darkness… and your contract is not complete until the god that had created me vanishes from this universe…**_

"**And if I refuse?"**

Giratina roared out, creating a massive tremor that shattered stone and mineral.

Farron refused to flinch. Though his soul could not hide his fear.

Glaring down at the defiant human, Giratina growled… the sound seemed unnatural. It had not come from its mouth, or its body… but it seemed to come from its very _existence_.

_**Then I will destroy you and find another… But realize this… all that will come after you will seek to release the darkness and accept their death… Yet only you have witnessed the destruction of the darkness…**_

"…_Maya… Sabrina…"_

_**I task you with only allowing the darkness to vanquish the god that had created me… No harm shall be done to this universe by its death… for we other gods shall watch over it…**_

Giratina lowered its colossal head. Its petrifying red eyes looking deep into Farron's soul.

_**Allow Arceus to be destroyed by the darkness… and your soul shall be free… You may destroy the darkness afterwards if you so wish… I care not… Failure for the darkness to destroy Arceus… will only lengthen your contract… You shall be summoned here with every lifetime… enslaved to me just as I am enslaved to existence… And with every failure I shall contract another… and more lives will be sacrificed because of your incompetence…**_

Farron no longer hid his fear. On his knees, his body quaked in terror and his eyes widened in horror. The presence of the Legendary was enough to strike fright in his essence. His bound soul was enough to drive him to tears. And the knowledge of forever serving as its slave or else face binding others to this fate… was enough to make him lose all hope.

…

…

"…where do you need me next, _master?_"

* * *

><p><strong>Knock Knock Knock<strong>

"_Oh! Oh! Let's do it together! Maybe it'll surprise them!"_

"_If the Quinns are already here, I doubt they'll be surprised."_

"_Please! Let's just try it!"_

The door opened to a flash of light.

"_Guess whoo-_**oh**."

Standing in a half-pose at the doorstep, a woman of medium height and golden hair stared awkwardly at the receiver of the door.

Staring back with little surprise, a taller woman with striking red eyes nodded in greeting. "Leanne."

Leanne coughed while adjusting her half-rimmed glasses to seem nonchalant. "Q-Quinn."

The Psychic stepped aside and allowed the arrival to enter.

Dragging in several bags meant for two, Leanne grunted and growled… regretting her earlier decision.

Quinn helped her set the bags to one side of the couch.

"So where is e-everyone?" Leanne sat back against the cushions and removed her white newsboy cap, doing her best to appear calm despite her prior quirkiness.

"Ritchie and Solana are spending time exploring the island." Quinn answered. A part of her felt extremely uncomfortable speaking to the former-Researcher… as the two were never on good terms in the previous life. "Pikachu is around here somewhere… I have not seen him in a while, so please watch your step. As for Ash, he's lying down in the bedroom."

**PDFFOF!**

Two young women stumbled off the couch as Latias flew hastily towards Ash's location.

Bianca groaned in pain, as her hip had smashed against a corner of the coffee table. "_Oww…_ warn us next time you're going to do that, Latias!"

The brown-haired Bianca shakily pushed herself to her feet. "_I think I'll _go check on Ash as well."

"He's a little _underdressed_." Quinn warned.

"_**Wh-What?"**_

"I needed to give him a bath. He's still drying out."

"**L-Latias! Don't stay in rooms with naked boys!"** She chased after.

…

…**click.**

The bedroom door closed… without Latias or Bianca returning.

**Sigh.** "How are you, Bianca?" Quinn regarded the blond-haired Unova native.

"G-Good!" the blonde responded nervously… unsure of how to talk to the rather serious Psychic.

Which was perfectly fine with Quinn, as she had asked the young woman not out of friendliness… but to simply find the patience to deal with more guests in the borrowed villa.

For the past two days, Sabrina, Dominique, and Casey rarely spent time as individuals. Separately, they weren't comfortable with each other's company, yet they felt natural together as the single Quinn. The combined residence suited them perfectly, as they found a lot more to do as one than as three.

Dominique had planned to spend her waking hours simply training and taking baths…

Sabrina had planned on meditation and daydreaming to occupy most of her time…

And Casey had planned wasting her hours by flipping through countless channels…

Together, they had a far more balanced and interesting schedule. Physical and mental exercises, daydreaming in the bathtub, and having a wider range of entertainment preferences – it was an ideal setup.

It spread to their other hobbies and likes as well: Casey had finished her lent book in a matter of hours with Sabrina's quick reading skills, Dominique was able to learn grooming shortcuts for Dice due to Casey's creative solutions, and Sabrina childishly enjoyed her newfound acrobatics gained from Dominique.

The more they thought about it, the more they wondered if they had enough in common now to be able to strike up a casual conversation between each other. Though the fear of an awkward rejection ruining their comfort in residing as one Quinn… prevented them from acting on it.

Casey's side of Quinn snickered at the thought of how they treated each other like spouses just to stay stable. _You never want to tell the wife you hate an actor, in case they're a fan of theirs… or else you'll end up with silent breakfasts._ she joked.

_Silent breakfast? More like 'No breakfast.' The man can cook for himself._ Dominique joined.

Quinn giggled out loud.

"Hm? What's funny?" Bianca tilted her head curiously.

"_Oh._ Nothing." The Psychic coughed awkwardly.

…

Sabrina's mind wandered, as it usually did. She questioned how long it had been since they had last separated. It was a considerable amount of time, she considered, as they had not only eaten breakfast that morning as Quinn, but had also slept the previous night as Quinn.

The latest memory of them being separate was during their private talks with Ash. He was still unconscious, and their presence as Quinn did nothing to improve his condition – but the conversations were more for personal resolutions. Similar to a diary entry or confessions.

_Wait… what did you talk to Ash about, Dommy?_ Casey asked with genuine curiosity.

_Mm… why?_

_Because I know why Sabby and I would talk to Ash, but what would you talk to him about?_

_Ah… well…_ Dominique felt slightly cornered, but decided to answer out of mutual respect. _Ash knows the two of you very well… and he didn't know much about me. So… I told him about myself. Just to catch him up to whom he'll get to know as Quinn._

_Cute._

…

_So Casey? Who's your favorite character in that book?_

_Oh gosh! Do you like it too?_

Outside of Quinn's thoughts, Bianca did her best to avoid eye contact – feeling extremely uncomfortable being alone with a Psychic that constantly made faces and whispered comments to herself.

"_I… uh… I _guess I'll check on Latias and the other Bianca!" She stood up awkwardly and shuffled towards the bedroom.

**knockknockknock**

"_Don't come in here!"_

"Guys! What are you doing in there! I wanna' see!"

"_I-It's nothing! Go wait out in the living room!"_

The blonde heard a small cough from behind.

Turning, she found a rather irritated Quinn carrying a large wooden bat.

"Excuse me, Bianca… I have some business with your other selves…"

"_Y-_Yes ma'am!" She ran out of the way in a hurry.

"_**LEANNES! IF YOU DO NOT REMOVE YOURSELVES FROM THE ROOM IN FIVE SECONDS, I WILL REMOVE THE TWO OF YOU FROM THIS EXISTENCE!"**_

"_Latias! You got us in trouble! Hide that thing… quick!"_

"**FIVE! … FOUR! … **_**ONE!**_**"**

* * *

><p>Crowded conversations and busied shuffles filled the air with the sound of civilization… breaking the peaceful quiet that the two had treasured for the past few hours.<p>

A small yacht had docked nearby, loosing its excited passengers into the world-famous island.

Soon there would be ten to twenty battles occurring within the immediate area…

_It didn't bother them…_ they still had the sunset that marked the horizon with a deep orange…

Soon there would be several trainers running towards them to challenge them…

_It wouldn't bother them…_ they still had each other…

Together, they had already defeated six eager battlers in double matches. Each victory had earned them compliments for being a great couple – and each victory had put the two of them into a deeper sync. _The battles didn't bother them…_ it had made their time together far more romantic and meaningful.

With a sigh of contentment, she pressed her head against his lap… staring up at him with curious adoration.

He stared back with a softened smile… wondering how life would change for the both of them now that they had each other.

The cool breeze of incoming night whispered in their hair and against their skin… another day ending, _one more complete memory to add to their lives_… another night coming, _one more chance to fall asleep in one another's arms…_

_Come what may_, the two would face it gladly…

"_SOLAAAANAAA! RIIIIIITCHIIIIEEEE! HEEEEEEEYYYYYYYY!"_

An unfamiliar voice called out to them, causing them both to flinch.

Searching for the source, they found a man they had never seen before running towards them.

Wearing a bandana and vest of dark gray that brought made his hair noticeably red, a pair of bell-bottomed jeans that flared out and brought attention to his bare feet, and golden bandanas wrapped around each wrist that matched his metal-yellow eyes… the man didn't seem to match any descriptions of anyone the couple knew, immediate or distant.

As the man arrived a few feet from them, Solana sat up to greet him. "_Er…_ hello, sir. Do we know you?"

"_**S-SIR?"**_ the stranger growled. **"I'M A GIRL!"**

Solana's face turned red from complete embarrassment. She stood and bowed repeatedly. "_I_-I'm s-sorry! Sorry!"

Ritchie pushed himself to his feet and gave a small wave. "Nice to meet you. Would you mind me asking how you know us?"

"_Heheheh!_" The woman smirked. Scratching the back of her head, she winked. "Can't tell? **It's me!**"

One became three, as three young women stumbled away from one another.

Posing dramatically, the fighter with pink hair introduced herself, "**Maylene!**"

Standing with an air of relaxed coolness, the tomboy with green hair nodded, "Angie."

Tripping over her feet and falling flat onto her stomach, the Coordinator laughed, "_Ow…_ **May!**"

"_**And together, we're Team Ramie!"**_ they exclaimed in unison… though the Coordinator was slightly off in timing.

Hopping back together in a flash of light, the woman of red hair reappeared in a fighting stance.

…

…

Solana and Ritchie clapped with nervous giggles.

"How long did it take the three of you to come up with that?" the Ranger asked with a held laugh.

Ramie blushed awkwardly. "_Eheh… _we practiced it on the boat ride here…"

"_But I can't ever get my timing right."_ a voice similar to May's came from her lips, admitting in shame. _"I've been off my game for the past few weeks… I seriously hope it doesn't get in the way of my Contests…"_ _**Sigh.**_

"We still thought it was pretty entertaining, right Lana?" Ritchie smiled.

"Definitely. It made our date far more… interesting."

Ramie blinked. "…_'Lana'_? …_'We'_? …_'DATE'_?" A gasped escaped her lips. "_**ARE YOU TWO TOGETHER NOW?**_"

"**Yep!"** the two nodded as one.

May pulled out of the formation in excited glee, causing the other two to fall backwards. "**THAT'S SO CUTE! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? **_**DETAILS! DETAILS!**_"

"_Hey uh…_" Angie interrupted as she crawled to her feet. "…before you go on with that story, would you mind telling us where Ash is?"

Ritchie pointed down a small pathway in the trees. "Go down this way until you find a large resort area. It'll be the small villa in the furthest corner on the right. C333 is its address, you can't miss it."

"Thanks! We'll see you three later!" Maylene waved and began to jog.

"_Wait!_ I'm coming too!" The Coordinator turned and ran down the directed path. She turned and gave a slight bow to the couple. "Tell me about it later, okay?"

Angie sprinted after her team, shouting back, _"Congratulations, by the way! Be sure to invite us to the wedding!"_

Ritchie laughed with a heavy blush. "_O-Okay_! See you three later!"

…

Solana snuck a small kiss against his cheek.

His face turned a deeper shade of red.

"_You haven't kissed me yet, you know…"_ the Ranger mentioned shyly.

"K-kissed?"

"…_it doesn't have to be on the lips…"_ She looked away innocently. _"…even just the hand would be fine…"_

Ritchie's hands gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him.

_What's he…?_

The Trainer stared nervously at her face… at her lips… as he inched closer.

_Is he actually going to –_

Ritchie closed his eyes and forced himself forward.

* * *

><p>"<strong>QUINN! LONG TIME NO SEE!"<strong> Ramie shouted as she flew in with a kick.

Quinn blocked and rolled against the attack. With a quick twist, she pressed a cold blade of psychic energy against the Fighter's neck.

The two glared at one another… cold red eyes analyzing the prey in its grip… burning golden eyes finding only a heated rivalry in its attacker…

…

…

Shoving at one another, the two broke away and laughed.

Despite the animosity held from their past, Quinn and Ramie found themselves as friends in this new life. The relations of Sabrina and Angie, as well as Maylene and Dominique, meaning much more to them than any ancient grudges.

"Did anyone else get here other than you?" The Fighter folded her arms and looked around the large living room in curiosity. "I almost thought I'd be the last one here."

"Only Leanne and you have arrived after me."

"Leanne's here? _Already? _Where is she?"

"Out."

"…out?"

"Out." the Psychic repeated, keeping an impossible poker face. "However…"

Quinn's arm wrapped around the Fighter's shoulder, leading her down a short hallway. "You came here to see Ash, correct?"

"Of course! How is he?"

Quinn reached out and opened a nearby door, presenting a large bedroom to the Fighter.

Lying in the center of a massive bed, Ash continued his unconscious slumber.

"…_Ash…_" Ramie made quick steps to the bed and sat. Her hand finding its way to his.

_I'm back, Ash…_ Angie smiled in relief.

_Hold on, kid… we've got ya'…_ Maylene nodded in determination.

_Come back to us, please…_ May gazed in desperation.

"He has stayed in this condition." Quinn walked over and pressed away the wrinkles in the young man's clothes. "…and_ yes_, I have already tried to wake him on my own… _it was not successful_. It is as if there's nothing in him whatsoever to bring back out…"

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out once we're all together." Ramie stood. "I know we will."

…

"…are you still determined to have Sato be with Maya?"

…

Ramie turned away, wanting to avoid the Psychic's question.

Quinn pushed the topic, "I do not believe you should. I believe you should keep trying."

"Why are we talking about this? We shouldn't be focused on that stuff right now…" the Fighter pressed her hand against the wall, leaning on it as her emotions wandered. "_…right now we need to save Ash…_"

"I am aware of what we need and do not need, Ramie…" her cold voice slowly began to warm. "I know Ash needs us… but you know more than I do that Maya doesn't love him as much as you do. She isn't willing to sacrifice herself for him like you do…"

Ramie shook her head. "She is and she does. Maya might not express her love in the same way, but it's not any weaker than mine. She's a good choice for him. Maya gives Sato heart to go on…"

"And you give him strength to be himself. Without you, he'd close himself off from Maya."

"**And I'll always be there for him!**" The Fighter glared, desperate for Quinn to drop the subject. "I don't need to be his wife to stand by his side! As much as I want to be, I'm just… _I'm just not meant for that, okay?_"

"I never told you to be his wife…" The Psychic wrapped her fingers around Ash's. "I asked you to stop trying to push Maya on him."

"…what do you mean?"

"Stop treating Maya as your superior… stop treating her like the one who won… you didn't lose to her."

Ramie looked away… a depressed smile on her lips. "_Sato loves her dearly…_"

"_**And he loves you!"**_

…

…

Quinn's fingers softly traced Ash's cheek. "_He never stopped talking about you when he was with me…_ every time he spoke of you there was so much _life_ in his eyes. So much passion. So much determination."

She looked towards Ramie. "_**He loves you…**_ just as you said; Maya loves him just as much, she simply doesn't express it the same way. And in the same fashion,_** he loves you with all his heart. Just not the same way.**_"

"…_I know… but…_"

"No buts. _**Love him**_, Ramie. Don't just stand solemnly by his side. Don't just follow him like a slave who had lost her freedom. Don't just sacrifice yourself as if you don't matter to him. _**Love him**_. With everything you have and everything you are."

Quinn slipped off the bed and approached her. "Don't give up just because he loves Maya. You're not in love with the man that fell in love with Maya. You're in love with the Sato that was with you. The Sato that had spent all his time and fun with you. The Sato who wrote you those countless letters…"

Ramie's eyes widened. "…how do you know about the letters?"

"He told me. The man had a crush on you when he was a child…"

"_**Why are you telling me this, Quinn?**_" The Fighter's face was red. Out of frustration. Out of embarrassment. And out of happiness. She felt the conflicting emotions crash and break against one another. "_**What good is telling me all this?**_ You always have something up your sleeve… You always had something up your sleeve!_** So what are you hiding?**_"

…

"_Sato won't wake up even if we're all together_…"

"What…?"

"Sato needs genuine emotions… genuine thoughts… genuine will to revive him." The Psychic sighed. "If we were to all focus our energies into him, we would fail… just like we failed Ash when he faced against the darkness."

…

Quinn continued, "We doubted him when we faced the darkness. Because of our doubt, we lost him. If we were to attempt reviving Sato as a group, the one person who would have doubts…_ is you_, Ramie."

"Me?" Her brows furrowed. "**I don't doubt my love for Sato!**"

"_But you doubt his love for you_…"

The cold words sliced through; ripping her heart, soul, and mind in realization. Ramie took a step back… she couldn't deny the statement. And it shamed her…

Yet a lone wall of denial still stood. "But Leanne! She's –"

"Leanne is unconfident in herself. But when it comes to life or death situations, she knows everyone depends on her. All doubts drop when she faces danger. She would not have a single uncertainty in herself if it involved saving Sato."

"Farron –"

"Farron knows how he feels towards Sato. He never hides it. It is not his love that keeps him attached, but his hatred. He sees the other side of Sato that we can never see. And it is necessary for him to feel this way in order for Sato to be brought back."

"But… I… _I know Sato loves me…_"

…

Quinn watched the Fighter slowly begin to break in her thoughts. If there were no doubts before, there certainly were hundreds now.

"…are you aware that Sato is a morning person?"

Ramie blinked. "_Yes._ Why do you ask?"

"And are you aware that you're a night person?"

"Obviously."

"Are you aware that Maya, Farron, and Leanne are also morning people?

"Get to the point."

"Consider the fact that Sato and I would hold our concealed meetings in the early mornings and afternoons… If he were to spend time handling all his business during the daylight – when does he go to sleep?"

"At night, obviously."

"Except he never did, _did he_?"

"…what?"

"He spent every night with you. And he wouldn't sleep until you went to sleep."

"I… _never thought about that…_"

"It may not be much, but it should show his desire to be with you." Quinn explained with a smile of admiration. "Sato may busy himself with others, he may dedicate all his passions to others – but for you, he will always make time for."

…

Ramie found herself silent… unsure of what to say or do. She wanted to be thankful, _but she knew that she still had doubts_. She yearned for nothing more than for the doubts to go away… _but she had been living far too long under the shadows of the other women. _She could sacrifice all she had, give everything she could ever give and more… _and he'd still end up choosing to give the others his infatuation and care…_

In her mind, in her heart, and in her soul, Ramie believed she was only second rate. Years of conditioning herself to understand and accept that as her place in the world – had made it impossible to rid of those doubts. As much as she wanted to believe Quinn's words, the fact was she was still just Sato's bodyguard… just his partner. It was_ just business. Just duty. __**Just friendship.**_

"There is one more thing…"

Quinn's voice returned Ramie's attention to the world around her.

The Psychic reached into her pocket and produced the infamous black marble that belonged to Ash… the Arceus Drop.

"This item was given to Ash by N. It carries the memories of Sato and any who share a moment with him." She held the marble at eye-level. "It can also show images of the future. The Arceus Drop, an item that holds the memories and guidance of the god Pokémon… as well as the corruption of the darkness.

"I have studied this item in many of my meditations… seeking the powers it held, while also wondering its true purpose…" The marble began to burn hot, as if aware of its existence being mentioned in conversation. Quinn didn't flinch, allowing the Drop's heat to peel away at her skin. "The main mystery I faced: _Why would it contain the memories of others if it had come from Arceus?_ Arceus may be a god, but even it follows the laws created in this universe. By all explanations, this object should _**not**_ have contained Sato's memories…"

Its searing temperature had finally become too much, forcing the Psychic to set it down on the bed… where it cooled instantly.

"As there was no logical connection between Arceus and the memories… I conjectured that either, _A; it is not from this universe – granted by powers even greater than Arceus._ Or _B; we are missing something from its explanation… _That's when the investigation of B had led me to find… this."

Quinn grabbed hold of the marble again. Forcing her thoughts to search through images of the past, the marble began to burn hotter and hotter. Within seconds, it had reached the searing temperature that had caused her to drop it before. But this time, she didn't let go.

Smoke spread from her hand, and the smell of cooking flesh overtook the room. The Psychic held back her cries of pain, forcing her body to endure, while forcing her mind to recall more memories.

"QUINN!" Ramie ran forward, about to pull the marble from her grip.

"_**STOP!"**_ Quinn commanded, sending a barrier of psychic energy to stop the Fighter in her tracks. _**"JUST A LITTLE MORE!"**_

"**What are you doing? That thing's barbequing your hand!"**

The Psychic's face showed complete anguish. Sweat dripped from her head, veins pulsed across her neck and hands, and her teeth grit hard. When it seemed she was only going to heighten in her tortures, her body suddenly relaxed…

"…_there… _it's done."

Quinn sighed in relief as she held out her hand. The skin and flesh on her palm was burnt black, with traces of deep reds and strange yellows where the burning pain continued.

Concern would have been the first expression given by Ramie… if it weren't for the Arceus Drop.

…it was no longer black…

Ramie backed away. _"…no…"_

"During my last meditation with this object, I found that there was something hidden inside it." Quinn continued her explanation. "_A base. A solidarity. _Where Ash and Sabrina had found that this marble carried only constantly-changing secrets and mysteries… I found that there was a _single truth_ buried within it. Something that could not be changed. Something that could not be altered.

"It was in that truth that would explain why Ash could recall past memories… You see, though N believed that he himself gave the Arceus Drop to Ash for his own reasons, his reasons alone would not have been enough to explain why he had felt the need to give it to Ash in the first place… The real truth revealed that N was only a tool of fate… _forced to return what had always belonged to Sato_.

"I apologize for forcing you to witness the gruesome scene, but I assumed you would not believe me unless you saw it yourself." Quinn stepped forward, gesturing Ramie to take the object from her hand. "The one truth of this marble… _is that it is yours, Ramie_. The one you gave to Sato."

Ramie continued backing away, frightened. Her eyes locked onto the marble of red and blue… "_…n-no!_"

"Ramie? _What's wrong_?"

"_He's…_ not supposed to have it anymore!" The Fighter shook her head in complete disbelief. "_He was supposed to lose it! I never saw him holding it anymore! __**I THOUGHT HE LOST IT! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO FORGET THAT PROMISE!**_"

Ramie shattered. Falling to her knees and pulling at her hair… tears pouring down her cheeks as she sobbed loudly. _**"SATO! YOU DUMMY! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO FORGET ABOUT THAT PROMISE!"**_

…

_I think we're done here._ Dominique concluded.

Quinn nodded to herself.

Silently striding across the room, the Psychic dropped the marble beside the bawling woman and exited the bedroom door.

…**click**.

She closed the door behind her.

**Sigh.**

_Poor Ramie…_ Casey's portion of Quinn felt pity.

Dominique's side, however, felt relief. _Why pity her? She found out that Sato truly does love her._

_Yeah, but… she really wanted to believe he didn't. Wanted to see herself as a person who wasn't worthy of anything, y'know? That's a horrible way to live, no matter how many good times you have in your life._

_Either way, it's up to her now. _Sabrina's section felt satisfied. _If she can love him back completely, we'll be able to get Sato back… we'll be able to get Ash back._

_That was ridiculously stressful! _Casey groaned. _If we made one mistake in that conversation, we woulda' screwed over the entire thing! …man, if we didn't have Sabby's smarts, we would've failed at the first two sentences._

_Don't be so humble. Without your strange baseball references, we would have probably never been able to continue changing our strategy. Baiting her to defend Maya was quite ingenius._

_Are we doing some kind of compliment party here? _Dominique half-joked.

_And Dommy here…_ Casey decided to host the compliment party. _…figuring out all of Ramie's secrets! She couldn't even try to hide anything from us because of you!_

_What can I say? I'm very good at reading people._ the ex-Agent gloated.

_Someone's at the door…_ Sabrina sensed immediately.

**Knock Knock Knock**

"Man is it awesome being Psychic." Quinn spoke Casey's thought out loud.

"_Hello? Anyone home?"_ a voice from the outside called.

_Farron's here._

* * *

><p><strong>Cl-lak.<strong>

She turned off the audio surveillance, no longer willing to listen to the Fighter's heart-wrenching cries.

Kicking away from the bench, she stretched and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small item.

"So if the Arceus Drops don't end up in just anyone's hands… then this marble must have been meant for me…"

Leanne gazed into the colored marble held up by her fingers. The dizzying swirls of bright colors hypnotized and calmed her. It was through this item she was able to see all connections… The connections that allowed her to organize and plan everything perfectly to this point. And the very connections that gave her any sense of authority within the groups.

But now that she was Leanne, the _complete_ Leanne – and now that they were all _so close_ to completing their _final task_, she wondered if she had any further use for the item. All that was left for it was its last secret… its final mystery…

Why it had chosen her.

_I could cheat by finding it through its deep connections…_ she considered. _Or I could cheat by simply looking into my own memories now that I remember…_

Leanne smirked._ But that would be too easy. With my mind now, I should be able to figure it out._

She pocketed the marble and pondered Quinn's words.

"That marble was Ramie's… but it found its way to Ash… Ramie had given it to Sato… so…"

_**Sato. Given it.**_

Leanne's eyes widened. Without the effort, a memory flashed.

'_Sato… I have something to confess to you…'_

'_What is it, Leanne?'_

'_H-Here…'_

'_What i– THE MARBLE!'_

'_Sato, I…'_

'_LEANNE! THANK YOU SO MUCH! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH! WHERE DID YOU FIND IT?'_

'…_I… stole it.'_

'…_what? Why?'_

'…_I was… jealous. I'm… I'm sorry.'_

'_Leanne…'_

'_You'd always stare at it… look at it… I… hated it. So I stole it. I'm sorry, I just…'_

…

'_I'm sorry, Sato. It was very immature of me…'_

'…_then why did you return it?'_

'_H-Huh?'_

'_If it hurt you so much… why did you give it back?'_

'…_a-aren't you glad you have it back?'_

'_More than anything. But why did you return it?'_

'_I… I saw how sad you were. Watching you check your pockets every day… looking through everyone's bags every week… never being able to look Ramie in the eyes… it was wrong of me. I was stupid. I'm so sorry.'_

…

…

'_Thank you, Leanne.'_

'_No thanks are necessary, Sato. I was a criminal. If anything, I should be punished.'_

'_No… you did me a favor.'_

'_Favor?'_

'_If I had never lost it, I would have never had all those deep discussions with everyone… and even though it was done for sad reasons, we're all closer because of it, right?'_

'_R-Right… It was also our conversation a few nights ago that made me decide to give it back…'_

'_It was a pretty fun conversation.'_

'_Y-Yeah…'_

…

…

'_Tell you what… I won't tell Ramie I got it back, and–'_

'_Wh-What? Why not?'_

'_Because you said it makes you sad.'_

'_I-I s-said that you looking at it made me sad! N-Nothing about Ramie!'_

'…_Leanne, I know why you're really jealous of it…'_

'…_I… yes… it's because of Ramie… but you don't have to hide it from her!'_

'_If I'll never be able to reconcile with Ramie without the marble, then I wouldn't deserve her as a friend.'_

'…_I suppose…'_

'_In addition to that, I'll get you your own marble.'_

'_WH-WHAT? WH-WHYY?'_

'_So you won't be so jealous.'_

'_I! Ah! Uhm!'_

'_What colors do you like?'_

'_Y-You don't have to get me one! Wh-What would I do with a marble? … … a-any color… I don't really have a favorite…'_

'_I'll get you one with lots of colors then, okay?'_

'_N-No, that's okay.'_

'_Too late. See you later, Leanne.'_

'_Where are you going?'_

'_Ah… just a walk…'_

'…_going to visit that Rapture Agent again, aren't you?'_

'_D-Don't tell anybody!'_

'_I never do…'_

'_Thanks, Leanne! I'll be back in a few hours! Cover for me.'_

'_Be careful out there! Don't let her pull any tricks on you!'_

…

'…_Sato…'_

Leanne's consciousness returned to the present. "Well fine, I guess cheating's fine too." **Sigh.**

Her eyes refocused on the marble in her hand. Studying its spinning saturations and hues.

"…_one with lots of colors, huh?"_ A heartening smile crept on her face.

Leanne pressed it to her forehead. Her heart singing in newfound cherishment for the gift.

"_A color for every element… like a drop of Arceus itself."_


	47. Chapter 47 Where We Left Off

"Have you tried calling her?"

"What did it look like I just finished doing?"

"You could have been checking your voice mail…"

"Well then I'd be checking for her voice mail, either way I'm doing something about it!"

"_Okay okay_, calm down big guy." Ramie sighed, leaning back against the couch.

"_H-Here_… let me see if I can call… her… _shoot, where is it_?" Leanne rummaged through her green belt pack, trying to find Johto Bianca's pokédev or Unova Bianca's C-Gear. She quietly cursed the fact that she had regained her ability to lose anything and everything while in the unified Leanne's form.

"For a girl who was always punctual during our old meets, you'd think she'd be one of the first here." Farron scratched his head in irritated impatience. He shifted his standing posture constantly, wishing dearly to rest his sore back – but far too nerve-wracked to sit still.

Quinn nodded in appreciation as she accepted a glass of iced tea from Solana. After a sip, she turned her attention to the group. "It is important to note that she is in the southwest section of the Sinnoh region, and we're in the northeast. If anyone would have an excuse to be late, it would definitely be Maya."

"**Taurosflakes **she has an excuse!" Ramie growled. "She's the most important one in this little group! _No offense._ There's no way Sato will wake without her!"

"_T-Technically Sato wouldn't wake if any of us w-weren't here._" Leanne clarified.

"Whatever. It's just** SO** like that princess to push her boundaries. We depend on her to get a job done, and what does she do? Flaunt her role as Maya! What a b– _**oh**__, thanks Solana!_"

"Did everyone get a drink?" the Ranger asked as she walked back to the kitchen.

"Not Maya. **OH WAIT!**" The Fighter rolled her eyes and chugged her drink.

Ritchie shuffled into the living room, setting down a large tray of freshly baked goods. "Food's here! Be careful though, it's a bit hot."

"_Sooo _Ritchie!" Ramie hopped towards him and roughly patted his back. "May's still wondering how you asked Solana out!"

Howls and small cheers came from the guests.

"_Oh um…_" The Trainer's face turned a bright red. "_Ah… you see…_"

"Nah, I'm just teasin' ya', kid!" Ramie laughed heartily. "You can tell May later. We just wanted to get you blushin'. _You adorable lil' thing._" She pinched his cheek, causing him to blush harder.

Solana stepped in, grabbing one of the muffins on the platter. "What's wrong with just asking me? I can tell the story too."

"Yeah, but you're just not as adorable as Ritchie. His blushes are half the story-telling experience." the Fighter teased as she grinded her knuckles into Ritchie's hair.

"I'd agree with that." The Ranger pulled her boyfriend away from Ramie's grasped and gave a quick kiss on his lips.

"_**AWWWWWWW!"**_

"_Get a room."_

"Shut it, Farron. No one asked you." Ramie playfully struck at the Pokémon Master.

He caught her attack by the wrist and tickled her armpit.

"**AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! STOP IT! STOP IT YOU JERK! AHAHAHA!"**

"_OOF!"_ His counter-assault earned him a real punch across the face.

Farron dropped sideways, grabbing onto a nearby curtain to stop his fall.

The curtain tore in half.

"_**OOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**_

"That's what you get for tickling me." Ramie cracked her knuckles and walked towards a corner of the room.

Ritchie inspected the curtain with worry. "_Oh man… Drew is not going to like this…_"

The Fighter stopped in her tracks.

"_What did you just say?"_

"Huh? About the curtain?"

"No. Did you just say _'Drew'_?"

"Yeah. This is Drew's villa."

May stomped out of Ramie's form, leaving the other two stunned from the separation.

"**THIS IS DREW'S PLACE?"** the Coordinator roared, a fire burning in her eyes.

"_Holy crap…_ _You shouldn't have said that!_" Angie panicked. She immediately wrapped her arms around May's shoulders. "_**C-Calm down, May!**_"

"**LET GO OF ME!"** she screamed as she kicked and punched into the air, struggling like a wild animal in the tomboy's grip. **"RAAAAAAA! I'M GOING TO TEAR THIS PLACE APART!"**

"_**A little help would be great, Maylene!"**_

The pink-haired fighter grabbed May's pinky and pulled it the wrong way.

"**OW!**" A weakening pain spread throughout the Coordinator's body, causing her to submit almost instantly. "_**Ow!**__ Ow. Owow_. Okay! Okay_**okay**__okay_, _I'm done_. Done. _Let go please._" she pleaded.

Angie let go of her grip and exhaled in relief. "_Phew…_ thanks, Lene."

"No prob." She released her hold, allowing May to drop to her knees to recover herself.

"_Wh-What was that all about?"_ Ritchie's eye twitched, his look of fear and shock slowly fading as the moment passed.

"Ex." the tomboy simply said.

Everyone in the room nodded in unified understanding.

"Oh… that reminds me. Drew says _'he's sorry'_."

Angie slapped her palm to her face._ Ritchie! WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?_

…

May didn't react. She looked up with a calm smile. "Oh… okay."

The others sighed in pure relief, slightly surprised by the Coordinator's tranquil reply.

**Click-click-click-click-click-click-click. VACUUM. SNAP!**

"_**I WANT THIS PLACE OBLITERATED!"**_ May commanded with reckless abandon.

* * *

><p>She took a deep breath in. The scents of the sea invigorating her… the taste of groomed civilization exciting her… and the air of one's final destination satisfying her lungs.<p>

Maya stepped into the docks, letting the small crowds pass her by.

On normal days, the exiting passengers would be far too eager to challenge one another not only during the yacht ride, but also immediately after reaching land… but it wasn't a normal day. It was early morning. Far too early for most to consider even giving suggestions, let alone battle orders to their pokémon. They needed their coffee, they needed their rest, and they needed to get their land legs fast if they were ever going to retrieve one of the other two options.

However, the Empathic's legs had already adjusted due to her natural affinity for water and sailing.

And unlike the exhausted swarm, she was one a rare species known as a 'morning person'. An endangered species in a time of technology's conveniences.

With a skip in her step, she headed down a small pathway within the forest of palm trees.

Maya felt perfectly fine. Not with just her situation, but with herself.

Never in her entire life had she felt so sure of herself.

Individually, she had always felt slightly off. Misty's near dual personality of tomboyish charms and deep desire to be_ 'one of the girls'_, was always in conflict with itself. Anabel's sensitivity and title as an Empathic had always made her awkward within the presence of those who couldn't understand emotions. And Dawn's youth and inexperience often making her feel like a mouse amongst a land of giants, always having to prove herself to others and herself.

But now, as Maya… she felt confident, whole, and knowledgeable. She wasn't the smartest girl in the group, but she had wisdom from experience and an outstanding sense of intuition to help her balance that out. She wasn't the strongest woman in the team, but her title as _'Maya'_ itself had enough power to allow her to do what she wished. And she wasn't the most balanced person in the gang, but she excelled in manners of the heart – and it was often the heart where it mattered most.

Being of one body, mind, heart, and soul felt perfect. She wondered why she ever even considered running off as Misty to be more _'successful'_ in life… when she would have never found true happiness at the end of that road. She pondered why she ever worried about losing to that tomboy Angie… when Angie was closer to being _'one of the boys'_ and wouldn't have complimented Ash effectively. And she questioned why she was so afraid of being alone and left behind as Dawn… when now she understood that Ash would have loved her company no matter what.

As Maya, things were right.

As Maya, things were perfect.

And as Maya, everyone was waiting for her.

She giggled to herself. _I shouldn't make them wait too long._

Her impossibly happy mood suddenly went blank when her eye caught a familiar figure.

To her right, a small creature was lying quietly underneath a large palm tree.

Originally, she was going to ignore it and continue on her way… but its familiar color caused her to make a second glance.

_Yellow._

It was Pikachu. Ash's pikachu.

It sat curled-up in the grass… emotions of _sadness, distress,_ and _complete loneliness_ filled its heart. From its fading and weakened sentiments, it was obvious that it had not eaten in days… and though many would encourage to feed it immediately, she knew quite well that as long as its spirits were low – it would never digest food properly.

Pikachu was _depressed_. He chose not to eat. He chose not to move. And he chose not to try. Though his heavy mental and emotional burdens were the main deciding factors of his mood – Maya knew that any creature simply having the will to cheer up, wanting to cheer up, desiring to cheer up… was a greater cure than what any medicine or meal could offer.

**Click. Vacuum.**

Pikachu's ears twitched at the sound. Feelings of _defensive irritation _surrounding his essence. The yellow Mouse Pokémon believed it was a wandering Trainer seeking to battle and capture it. Pikachu was in no mood… and was only waiting for the perfect moment to retaliate.

**Snap.**

With a growl, Pikachu turned and readied to send the released pokémon into the sky with a Volt Tackle.

…

Instead, it stood still in _confusion_.

A feline creature of lavender fur and deep purple eyes stared at him in _curious recognition_.

"**PIKAAA!"** The Mouse Pokémon dashed forward and tackled the Sun Pokémon.

The two tumbled and rolled with excited yelps and happy grunts. Landing to a halt, they hopped, pounced, and pressed down and over one another. Their cheerful laughs and yaps echoed slightly against the barrier of trees.

Maya's eyes watered at the heartening scene. **Sniffle. **"Hi Pikachu! Long time no see!"

Ash's partner halted in its play and stared up at the woman. "_Pika?_" It didn't recognize her whatsoever.

"It's us! Anabel, Dawn, and Misty!"

"…_pi?"_

She held out her hand, allowing him to sniff it carefully from his hesitant distance. "_See?_ You still know us, right?"

Pikachu tilted its head. Emotions of _complete bewilderment_ filled him.

In every way it knew this woman was them… but it had no idea why they were one person.

Before it could confuse itself any further, Maya reached into her bag. "I've got something just for you! Snuck it out of the yacht. So _sshhhhh, don't tell anyone_." she giggled to herself childishly.

The woman he couldn't recognize held out a treat that could bribe him into no longer caring.

…_ketchup packs…_

Pikachu tore through them, sucking out their sweet and savory sauces that they held within.

In just a manner of minutes, the yellow Mouse Pokémon showed almost no signs of its earlier weaknesses or vulnerabilities… He was eating, moving, and most importantly… _happy_.

"Come on, Pikachu. We're going to go wake up Ash now!"

"…_pi…ka?"_

"Yup! It's finally time!"

No longer caring for the 'food', Pikachu dropped the ketchup packs and leapt onto Maya's shoulder. _**"PIKAAA!"**_ He patted her head repeatedly, gesturing for her to start running. Espeon hopped on her other shoulder and mimicked the Electric Pokémon's gestures.

"_Okay, okay, okay!_" Maya laughed as she placed the packets back into her bag. With a slight grunt, she stretched and straightened her back. "_Ahhh~!_ Alright!** Let's go!**"

The three of them cheered loudly as they sped down the narrow forest path… all looking forward to what their final destination would hold in store for them.

* * *

><p>"…is this really the right place?"<p>

Smoke slowly drifted from the villa's roof. A large hole with blackened edges scarred one of its corners. Ice decorated the edges of the doorway. And several of the windows were shattered beyond repair.

…

"_Oh no…_ _**WHAT IF TEAM ROCKET ATTACKED?**_"

"_**CHUU!"**_

Smashing through the frozen door, Pikachu prepared for the worst. Espeon leapt by his side, forming a Barrier around them in proactive defense. The Empathic stormed in, pulling several of her poké balls from their belt loops.

…

Walls stained with splattered green, burning black, and shimmering light blue… A hole in the ceiling…

Several knocked out pokémon spread throughout the settings. One person on the floor, massaging their head in pain. Several others, leaning against walls or objects in exhaustion and stress, glancing in the intruders' direction. And a single young woman, held above the ground by a dark purple aura, posed in a furious stance.

"_Uh_…"

"**IT'S MAYA!"**

As if the battle that mysteriously occurred in her absence had never mattered, everyone in the room stumbled and hopped into ecstatic postures. Even May, who seemed to be the center of everyone's struggle, cheered up at the sight of the Empathic's arrival.

The Coordinator ran towards Angie and Maylene, pulling them excitedly towards herself. In a flash of light, the three had become one – revealing the red-haired and golden-eyed Fighter that she recognized almost instantly.

"_**R-Ramie?"**_

"**PRINCESS!"** Ramie dashed forward, breaking through Espeon's Barrier with a swift kick and placing the Empathic in a rough headlock. "You little orange-head! You had us worried sick!"

Maya laughed nervously as the Fighter continued to scratch at her hair.

Facing up, her eyes widened at the sight of so many familiar faces. "**Farron! Leanne! Quinn!**"

The three ran towards her in cheerful greetings.

Laughs, comments, stories, and playful insults bounced between the five of them.

To the side, Solana pulled Ritchie to his feet and patted debris off his clothes.

The male trainer surveyed the room in despair. "_Drew is not going to like this at all…_"

"Oh cheer up, Ritch." The Ranger laughed, slapping him across the back. "Come on, let's go get Ash ready for them… The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can get all this drama out of our hairs."

* * *

><p>"<em>Ash…"<em>

Of the five that stood uncomfortably at the sight of the young man's body, none was sure which of them whispered his name. It could have been any of them, it could have been all of them, or they could have simply imagined it. The only thing they knew is that the sight of him, with all of them gathered under the same roof, made them nervous.

_This is it…_ many of them thought. _After this, our adventure's finally done…_

_But where do we go from here?_

Quinn worried for her Gym at Saffron… wondering if she should return as the Psychic Sabrina or as the Psychic Quinn. She wondered if the others would follow her. The ex-Agent Dominique didn't seem to have any specific plans for her life after all this. Becoming an assistant in the Psychic's Gym was an interesting prospect for her, though she knew that she'd be treated as an outcast because of her Dice. Casey had no real opinion for or against it… her life had always been up in the air, finding happiness and adventure wherever she went. As long as she could continue attending and watching team Electabuzz's games, she could go anywhere – live anywhere.

The Psychic's largest worry, however, was where would Ash be in her life after this… _does she simply move on? Is it alright to move on? …and if he followed, where would life lead them?_

Leanne missed her faraway homes… Alto Mare, the paradise island of Johto, was her perfect world. In her past life, she had always dreamed of living in that island… and now she finally could, in the form of Bianca and Latias. She could finally appreciate her home for the haven that it was. The other Bianca, however, wished to return to her region of Unova. Kanto and Sinnoh were beautiful lands with so many adventures and friends waiting to greet her, but she missed her home. To her, she felt like she had never given her home region a real chance… she barely even knew of the cities and towns there, yet she knew so many here already. It was unfair to her home, and she wanted to make it fair.

The Researcher's conflict came to a head when they wondered how they would separate… _how could they separate? Leanne wouldn't be Leanne without all three of them… Do they simply forget this life and continue on their own? Would it be right? …and what about Ash? What about Sato? Do they simply lose him again and just end up settling for someone else?_

For Ramie, the roles of Gym Leader, Contest Title Defender, and heiress of a Day Care Center loomed over her head and heart. The thoughts would cause her shoulders feel heavy with burden… because in truth, she didn't truly care for those things. She wanted to be with Ash, with Sato. To have fought so hard for him, to have sacrificed so much for him, to have discovered so much for him, only to lose him because of duties that seemed trivial in comparison… drove her mad.

The Fighter's desire to be with Ash fell in opposition with the fact that she wasn't one person, but three. Even if they were comfortable with it, they couldn't see a way to share him. They lived three separate worlds – _how could he be with all of them? …or do they drop everything and follow him regardless?_

Maya only concerned herself with Ash's safety and her life with him. She would gladly remove her title as Gym Leader to continue travelling with him. She would gladly remove her title as Frontier Brain to be with him indefinitely. And she would gladly forget her goals of being a top Pokémon Coordinator if it meant she could make him happy. Or if he wished, he could live in her life… ideas of fighting as a Gym Leader with Double Battle rules, defending the Battle Frontier as a Frontier Brain duo, or competing as a Coordinator couple ran through her head.

Yet the Empathic's crossroad was… _would it be with Ash or Sato?_ She was unsure what their actions would honestly do to the sleeping young man. If it revived him as Ash, then anything goes – _because he never seemed to care about boundaries. _But if it was Sato… _then would he continue his role as an Aura Guardian? The very job that had caused so much heartache and pain in him… she wondered if she could convince him to retire… because she believed he had already given his all, and no longer owed anything to the world that demanded his services…_

And Farron… he knew where he would be at the end of all this. He didn't want anything more to do with this. Farron wasn't a Pokémon Master in this world. He was a skilled trainer, with several undisciplined pokémon under his command. With that in mind, he didn't care to continue his role as the man named Farron. The jobs and lives of Gary, Tracey, and Todd seemed far more appealing now. After this was all over, he was going to move on – just like he always has – just like he always will.

_Except…_ he was still here. Ended up back here just for Sato. Always for Sato. He despised him… _he would never allow him to move on, never allow him to break away. As much as Farron always wanted to stop caring, Sato would always drag him back – preaching to him about responsibilities and duties to others… He despised those lectures… because he knew Sato was right._

And now he had the chance to forget about him, to let him rot away as an un-living body, to just let him fade away with time and move forward… but he…_ didn't want to._

He was the first to step forward.

Pressing his hand against Ash's heart, Farron sneered. "Sato, you idiot, you owe me for this."

With a flex of his thoughts and emotions, he remembered every moment he ever had with the Aura Guardian. Moments of _hatred, jealousy, envy,_ and even _admiration_. His body shook… tears flowing from his eyes.

In reaction, Leanne's face became serious as she ran towards Ash's body. Her hands pressed hard against his chest. "We're always here for you, Sato!"

She flinched, allowing all her memories and feelings to flow into him. _Sato… you were always so kind to pokémon… and always so kind to people… but what meant most to me, was your kindness to me. You always made me feel special, even though I never thought I was worth anything… so please… come back… I want to show my gratitude…_

Quinn slowly walked ahead, resting her hand against the young man's forehead. "Consider my debt paid in full, Aura…"

With a smile, the Psychic opened her heart and mind. Her _experiences with Sato, judgments of his character, and deep affection for him, _released into his body. Sabrina moved to the fore, reconnecting the_ bond _that she held with Ash… reminding Quinn of the _bond_ she had shared with Sato.

Ash's body twitched. A small moan escaping his lips.

"_**IT'S WORKING!"**_ Leanne shouted excitedly. "_Oh gosh… it's working…_"

"**Hurry up girls! We need both of you!"** Farron yelled without turning away from his actions.

…

Maya hesitated.

Seeing Ash react to Quinn made her… _frightened_.

A hand patted her on the shoulder.

Ramie smiled at her. "Come on, princess. Your prince awaits."

Shoved forward, Maya stumbled.

Her hands landing on Ash's… A _familiar warmth_ came from them.

"_Ash…"_

Maya shook her head, throwing the fears away. _I'm doing this for you, Ash. It doesn't matter what you think about Sabrina or anyone else here… what matters is that I love you. I love you, Ash! And I don't want to live without you!_

Her hands gripped onto his, squeezing them as hard as she could. Using her Empathy, she shot all of her _emotions _into him. _Misty's… Anabel's… Dawn's… Maya's…_ their love, their infatuation, their dreams, hopes, desires, and so much more. _All for Ash. All for Sato._

_Maya always belongs to Sato… Sato always belongs to Maya… __**We were meant for each other, Sato! COME BACK TO ME!**_

Ash's body took a deep breath in, his lips moving as if he attempted to talk.

Ramie stepped forward, cracking her knuckles and rolling her shoulders. "Alright Sato… Let's see if I can wake you up with something you remember!"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a marble of red and blue. Her fingers wrapped around them tightly, balling the hand into a fist, with the marble as its heart.

_Sato… I don't think we'll ever get married. But you know what? Marriage is for insecure little women anyways. I don't need to be married to you to show my love! And you sure as hell don't need to send me flowers to say you love me! We have each other. We've always had each other. And as much as I can't live without you… I know you can't live without me._

"_**SO WAKE UP, YOU JERK!"**_

She swung her fist downwards, jabbing Ash hard against the stomach.

"_**GAHH!"**_ Ash spat out, his eyes opening wide, and his body sitting up immediately.

The five backed away in shock.

Ash breathed desperately, holding his stomach in pain. "_OWWW…_ **What the heck was that for, Amy?**"

Ramie's eyes widened. Ash… wasn't exactly Ash.

_He called her by the nickname Sato gave her… with the voice of Sato…_

…_staring straight at her._

"…Sato?"

He blinked. "Y-Yeah?"

Leanne was the first to charge in. She leapt up and wrapped her arms excitedly around him. **"ASH! SATO! I MISSED YOU TWO SO MUCH!"**

"_L-Leanne?_" His face blushed, unused to the normally shy girl's physical affection.

"So wait a minute." Farron crossed his arms and raised his brow. A look of irritated confusion was in his eyes. "Which is it? You Ash or Sato in there?"

Ash scratched his head. "_…er… _both?" He shrugged.

_**Sato! SATO! I CAN FEEL OUR BOND AGAIN, SATO! **_Quinn's erratic thoughts flowed around his mind.

_Nice to see you again, Quinn!_

_**Oh Sato… SATO!**_

The Psychic stood awkwardly to the side, a blush on her face as her mind was elsewhere.

Maya shuffled forward nervously. Her face was pink, both from shyness and from the tears she had been crying. "_S-Sat-to?_"

"Long time no see, Maya… _Misty… Dawn… Anabel._" He smiled. "Literally."

Ash had sensed her_ curiosities_ and _hesitation_… her eyes locked with his, wondering why his eyes weren't blanked or faded like they normally were. They followed her every movement, only making it more obvious what the answer could be.

She looked away, hiding her face. "_Ah!_ If you told me you'd get your sight back from this, I would've cleaned myself up! _**I'm a complete mess!**_"

"If you look like a mess, then I must look like a muk." Ramie mentioned as she did her best to adjust the hair underneath her bandana.

"Hey Amy…"

Ramie's face turned pink. "_Wh-_What?" She refused to make eye contact.

He wasn't supposed to give her any attention right now. All his attention was supposed to be on Maya, not her. It made her extremely uncomfortable… _even if it was a nice change._

"Sorry I didn't tell you about the marble…"

The Fighter pocketed the small object of red and blue. "Whatever. Don't stress over it. Just glad to have you back, you jerk."

"You're keeping it?"

"Keeping what?"

"The marble."

Ramie shrugged. "Yeah. So what? It's my marble anyways." _…you don't need this marble to keep thinking of me, Sato… I'll be right there with ya' all the way. If you ever miss me, you come see me yourself. No mementos._

She knew he'd hear her emotions. It was one of the few times she wasn't trying to hide them. She counted on him hearing it… as she left the room.

"Well, see you jerks later! I'm gonna' go grab a bite from Ritchie."

_Amy…_ Ash nodded.

"**OH!** Sato! **Sato!**" Leanne pulled out her own marble and waved it in his face excitedly. "_**See?**_ I kept the marble you gave to me! I still have it, _**see?**_"

He laughed nervously, still unused to her overly animated behavior. "That's great!"

His attention was caught by a hand holding onto his. Looking up to its owner, he found Maya staring at him lovingly.

"I'm really glad you're back… _I missed you…_" Her hand shook as tears slowly began to run down her eyes again. "I missed you so much! _I don't know… I don't know what I would have done if…_"

Sato pulled her close, pressing her head against his heart. "I missed you, too… _Maya_."

"**SATO!"** She sobbed loudly into his chest. Grabbing and pulling at his shirt… yearning to absorb him and keep him locked away in her heart, never to lose him again. **"I WAS SO SCARED IN THERE! WHEN THE DARKNESS TOOK ME! I STILL KNEW YOU WERE THERE! YOU WERE STILL FIGHTING FOR ME! YOU KEPT ME FROM DISAPPEARING, SATO! YOU KEPT ME FROM DISAPPEARING!"**

"_Shh… it's okay, Maya… you're safe now._" He pressed his hand against her cheek, leading her eyes to look into his. "And I'm safe now. Because of you."

"_Sato…"_

"Because of all of you." Ash tilted his head up and regarded those still in the room.

Maya's face gave a blank smile, feeling slightly heartbroken at the altered compliment. She shook her head, denying the feeling. _No… he's right. He wouldn't be back if it weren't for all of us._

"_I-I did all of this for you, Sato…_" Leanne blushed, her shy personality returning.

_**I did as well.**_ Quinn nodded, caressing the renewed bond. Never wanting to let it go.

"Thank you." Ash sighed softly. "All of you."

"_**PIKAAA!"**_

A flash of quick yellow smeared Ash's vision. Pikachu had latched onto his face, howling and screaming for desperate attention.

Unlike his reactions to the others, Ash wept in response to Pikachu's appearance. He held him close and sobbed into the Mouse Pokémon's fur. _**"PIKACHU!"**_

"_**PIKAAA!"**_

The two rolled around the bed in euphoria, crying and laughing in their reunion.

Maya smiled at the sight… glad to have both Sato and the old Ash back.

"_Well this is nice and all_…" Farron grumbled. "But are we done here? I need to get going soon."

"You're leaving?" Sato blinked his tears away and stared up at him. "Already?"

"_You know me, Ash. I always have somewhere to go." _he responded with Gary's voice.

"If that's the case, then –"

Ash's comment was cut short as Ramie stormed back into the room.

With a bread still in her mouth, she stumbled quickly towards the bedroom's television and turned it on.

"Ramie? What's up?"

The Fighter held a finger towards them, gesturing for silence. She chewed up the bread as quickly as she could while her hands fumbled with the remote… trying to find the right channel.

Finally, the channel rested on a news network.

"_If you're just tuning in with us, a terrorist group calling themselves Operation Beta has just captured a military facility near Hearthome City. Acquiring several launch codes to warheads that the facility supposedly contains, they are threatening to destroy every major city within the Sinnoh region by sunrise if their demands are not met."_

Leanne's eyes narrowed. "…I never knew there were even any military facilities left in any region of the world."

Farron's eye twitched. "_There shouldn't be any…_"

"_The group's leader, known simply as 'Dragon' had left this video message through a pirate network…"_

A young woman with large purple hair appeared on the screen.

"**THAT'S–!"** Farron tensed.

Despite the scar across her eye and her threatening uniform… Gary recognized her instantly as Iris, leader of Beta team.

"'_People of Sinnoh!'"_ she roared proudly into a microphone. _"'For far too long the Empire has deceived you! Lied to you! Controlled you! They have stolen your lands, your resources, and your histories! They replaced it with their own filth and greed! Brainwashing all of you to believe they are here to protect and guide you! But I have seen through their propaganda! And I know many of you have too! But you are frightened…"_

She pounded the podium with her fist, her face becoming far more serious. _"'And I am frightened too. Frightened to become like you! As we speak, your supposed protectorate is storming my homeland! They burn our lands, steal our crops, and destroy our culture! They wage war on people who do not fight back, care not to fight back! For years we have tolerated them, and we have even allied with them! But if this is how they treat their allies, then I pity how they treat its own people!'_

"'_I am here not as a terrorist or a revolutionary… but as a child who had her father taken away by the wretched Empire! He was only trying to protect his family from starving! And they killed him in front of us for his defiance… Your family and friends are the same as mine! Are the same as myself! The Empire deceives you, promises you comforts, gives you what you desire – but takes away the very thing you need! The very thing that makes you whole!'_

"'_You are sedated, unfeeling, and jaded to them! But I am here to wake you up! As a child who does not wish to see your fathers taken away from you, as a friend who does not wish to see you continue to be hurt by their deceptions… I implore you: fight back! Rise to arms with us! Help us help you! So that tomorrow we can see a brighter day, where all that we have earned is taken only by those whom we give them to! So that tomorrow we can see a greater sky, where all that we had heard were truths from an honest government, an honest face – not one that hides behind masks and shadows.'_

"'_We are currently in control of the Drifblim Military Facility. We have access to twenty nuclear warheads… all primed and ready for launch. Nuclear warheads that the Empire lied about owning… nuclear warheads that the Empire had planned to use against my homeland. But now, we are in control, and we will use it on them first! UNLESS! Unless you stand up and fight with us, people of Sinnoh! If you join our fight, we will deactivate these missiles permanently. That is a true promise. A real promise.'_

"'_But if you do not… we will target and destroy every major city within the Sinnoh region. Because if you are not with us… you are part of the Empire. You have until sunrise to make your decision.'"_

The screen blanked… quickly returning to the reporter in front of the facility. Explosions and gunfire flashed behind her. _"The Empire has just infiltrated the building! We were told that they had entered through a tunnel from beneath the facility itself! Fighting has just broke out between the terrorists and the operatives! With the terrorists already losing ground! As much as we'd love to show you more, we were commanded to vacate the premises in case – "_ Static fizzed on the television screen.

…

"_**What in the world was that all about?" **_Maya's jaw was left ajar. Like everyone else, she had been watching the news report intensely, without moving an inch.

Now that the static continued, they exchanged looks of confusion and worry.

"_We seem to be having some technical issues with reporter Powell…"_ The screen flickered back to color, revealing two news casters holding their ear pieces to gather more information. _"Our apologies. We will return to her as soon as we can."_

The other newscaster nodded, facing the camera. _"In light of the recent takeover, the Emperor has clarified that the war they are holding within the Unova region was kept classified to prevent any news leaks from endangering the troops stationed there. He has stated that the war is not a take-over attempt by the Empire, but a terrorist-suppression effort. According to the neighboring regions, Unova has been known for their illegal drug, weapon, and pokémon laundering activities to fund and weaponize their own extremist military groups. Their recent increase in these activities has prompted the Empire to interfere, defending Unova's neighbors, not attacking Unova itself."_

"…_Unova_…" Leanne's brown eyes shifted green, as Bianca's troubled mind showed through.

"Something is wrong out there… _I can sense it…_" Quinn frowned.

"_To keep the public informed on this situation, we will repeat this broadcast again in a few seconds." _The caster straightened his papers. _"For now, we can only give our thoughts and prayers to the dedicated soldiers within the facility. May the Rocket Empire protect us all."_

The screen blinked, repeating earlier scenes that they had missed.

Ramie turned off the television.

…

"Rocket Empire?" Leanne looked around in worry.

"That was Iris, right?" Maya looked towards Farron.

"_Nuclear warheads… military facilities…_" he growled to himself. "…doesn't make sense."

Sato pushed himself off the bed, walking towards his backpack that was left in the corner of the room.

"Where do you think you're going?"

A blue haze formed around Ash. "It's Team Rocket…"

"What about them?"

He turned, facing Farron as he adjusted the bag against his back. "They've caught Arceus."

"_**WHAT?"**_ The four women stared at him in disbelief.

Ash walked towards the door. "Everyone get their stuff ready… we're not done yet."

…

…

Farron's eye twitched… his third chance had revealed itself.

* * *

><p><em><strong>PART ONE END<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Special Thanks To<strong>

Mags

(My Ammunition)

Nauran

(best editor/reviewer a writer could ask for!)


	48. Arceus Drops: Defying

_**Arceus Drops: Defying**_ is now published! Search for it to catch up with the latest chapters of this story arc!

-Management


End file.
